Fate
by Bookworm Gal
Summary: Sequel to "Destiny." How far would you go to save a friend? Would you travel to another world? Another reality? Would your journey help save two worlds? True friendship never dies and good-bye doesn't have to be forever. Find your past. 01/02/03 crossover
1. Prophecies

**Hello again. If you have not read my story "Destiny," turn around and go read it now. You will not understand otherwise. If you have read it, welcome back! This story will deal with several unanswered questions from the last one. And it will cross over to another universe: specifically, some of the tamers will meet some of the digidestined. It makes sense if you remember the capabilities of Destiny. And the question of what happened to Fate will be addressed. Finally, the aftermath of what occurred to Ryo will be dealt with. **

**As before, bold will indicate flashbacks or dreams (unless it's an introduction like here) while italics indicate the viewpoint of the secret enemy (yes, there will be one. But it will take some time). In fact, the entire action of the story will take a little time to set up. Please bear with me.**

**Overall, the updating of this story will likely be less often and more sporadic than in the case of "Destiny" because this one has more elements to work out and I have a busy life. But I will not abandon it! It will be completed! Even if it takes a while. So please enjoy the next segment piece of the overall story and hope you enjoy it as much as you did my first.**

Fate

How many years, decades, or centuries had she been doing this? How many hundreds, thousands, or millions of prophecies had she learned, fulfilled, and moved on? How many times had her memories simply been removed, leaving only scattered remnants she could rarely put together? How long had she been bouncing around time, space, and realities alone? How long since she lost her best friend?

She was Destiny. That was who and what she was. She was a concept of not having control of one's life. But she was also a girl. She was a girl who had lost everything: her past, her memories, and her friend, just so she could fulfill her duty. She guarded prophecies and ensured they came to pass. And she fulfilled this duty well. But it did not stop the loneliness. It did not stop they pain.

Fate. Her friend and partner. The only person that stayed, the only one she kept with her for so long, had been another who shared the responsibility. He understood. But now he was lost to her. All she had were tiny fragments of memories.

**She couldn't remember why. Why was it necessary? She knew another would have died. Another would have been sacrificed for the greater good. She couldn't remember who, where, or when. There had been a prophecy. A vague one, she thought, that had mentioned a death. Both she and Fate had thought it meant… someone else. Someone… she couldn't remember. But that was the gift and curse of prophecies. They were vague so that reality could be balanced multiple ways. The vaguer, the more possible answers were available.**

**The death was because of… something. Something important. A past crime? Maybe redemption? It was hard to focus because it was so close to the prophecy. But she had to remember what she could. She couldn't forget him.**

**He chose this. Neither felt… whoever it was… deserved to suffer this fate. So Fate changed it. He could and did fit the prophecy. She didn't realize what her friend had in mind until it was too late. He chose to let these prophesied… some ones… be happy, together, and safe for a little longer. He chose to be the death and for her to be left alone.**

**So hard to focus, but she had to remember what she could. No matter how buried in the forgetful fog of her mind. No matter how much it hurts.**

"**Why, you stupid dork?" she cried, "You've seen prophecies lead to death before. Why swoop in and save the day now?"**

**Fate, her only friend and companion, was vanishing before her eyes. He grinned, his usual mischievous expression more sober and serious, "Come on, you saw them. They are so happy together. And they barely have had any time together. It's not right to separate them yet. The prophecy is fulfilled, whether it's…" someone she couldn't remember… "or me."**

"**Forget the stinking prophecy," she screamed in frustration. "All this prophecy nonsense has gotten us is isolation, messed-up memories, and headaches to deal with. Why can't we just live our own lives and let them handle things themselves. I should just quit all this. What's the point?!"**

"**You don't mean that," he whispered, nearly gone. "You care what happens and you always have to make a difference. I'm the one who would have quit, just to be my annoying self. You always felt the responsibility and duty. It was only a matter of time before I did too." He gave a grin, "Look like I saved the day. Guess that's how all those losers we boss around feel. You're my best friend, Destiny."**

"**You too, Impmon," she whispered back, tears rolling down her face as he disappeared for good. All alone, she stared at the now vacated spot. Forever alone. That was her future. "Please come back," she begged softly, her voice barely a croak, "Don't leave me alone."**

**Did, whoever her friend saved, know? Did they know what they had been spared? Did they and their friends realize what loss and heartache they had barely avoided suffering? Did they know others were taking their place? She couldn't remember and she didn't know. All she knew was another prophecy was fulfilled and reality was balanced. And she was alone. No Fate.**

**She felt it. A new prophecy was entering her mind. The old knowledge was brushed aside by them as she was given a new task. She would forget anything directly related to the finished prophecy. But her friend's death, if not all the details, would remain. But she didn't want to do this anymore. She wanted to tell them she was done; that she wasn't going to do this anymore. She would just watch as both worlds did whatever they wished and reality spun out of control. No more. There was nothing they could do to make her. She had nothing left to lose. Forget responsibility and duty.**

**The new prophecy filled her head. This one was different than the rest. It was… for her. She concentrated on it. As she gained the new knowledge, she recited it aloud to make sure of her understanding.**

"**What once was lost can yet be found. Nothing is ever gone forever. Destiny and Fate: intertwined and connected. When the task is done and duty fulfilled, and everything is balanced, a reward shall be given. Friends reunite and pain shall be eased. And allies shall be free."**

**She had spent so much time interpreting prophecies for others; she could easily translate the most likely meaning. If she continued to do her duty and maintain the balance, when she finished someday all that they asked, she would see Fate again. She would get to have her friend back, but only if she fulfilled her responsibility. She bowed her head.**

"**Very well," she agreed, her face still red from crying, "I will complete my task. I am ready for the next one."**

**She felt them shift her through time. Though she could travel between the two worlds without assistance, time and realities were handled by them. They would bring her to where they needed her to be.**

**And prophecy after prophecy was completed. How many, she never knew. They flew in to her head quickly and then vanished when fulfilled. But one remained with her. Her own. It gave her hope and so she continued. Calm and mysterious on the outside, lonely on the inside. But how do you connect with people you will forget? With people who may be dead of old age during the next prophecy, or not yet born, or never even existed in the different reality. It was pointless to try and make friends with them. And she no longer had someone who understood this. All she had was her duty. Her duty and a tiny glimmer of hope.**

The dark-haired girl shook her head. She needed to move on to the next prophecy. Staying stuck in the past would not get her duty finished any faster. They, whoever or whatever the entities that gave her these tasks, removed the previous prophecy she had just completed and all those memories from her mind. It was a familiar sensation and she did not fight it. Next, she prepared herself for the new knowledge.

Destiny frowned. What she was gaining made little sense. Some was pure memory. Her memories. She was remembering events from a previous prophecy that she had long since forgotten. She never remembered past prophecies this well (as far as she could remember, which wasn't that reliable anyway). In addition, new information entered her mind, but it felt incomplete.

"I don't understand," she admitted. "Part of what you've given me is already complete and part does not seem to be all there."

They never answered in spoken words. Ideas, concepts, images, and prophecies placed directly into her mind were their preferred method of communication. As soon as the question left her mouth, the answers appeared in her head as if she had known all along.

"So, I need knowledge of the old prophecy because I will need to interact with them again," she muttered. "And I only got part of the new prophecy because… it involves me? How?"

This time, there was a pause before she gained her answer. As if they were wondering whether or not to answer. She waited patiently as they slowly gave her the requested knowledge. What she learned stunned her.

"Because it will be the last…" she gasped. "And I must… rediscover my own past to find what I seek. So two prophecies are at work here. One to balance reality and one… for me." She felt space and time shift and she slipped into another reality. This one she had been to before and now she could recall her time there. Humans and digimon both had reason to hate her there, but she had to seek them out. She did not yet know why she needed them specifically; however she trusted she would learn in time as more of the primary prophecy was revealed. The final prophecy.

Soon, Fate. Soon.

**Ta-da! How's that for a start? This was shorter than usual because it's a prologue and I just wanted to reintroduce you to Destiny a little. Like I said, updates should be slower than last time. But they will keep coming. Reviews do work as incentive though. Thanks!**


	2. Reflections and Flashbacks

**I know that this one was really quick, but I already had it mostly done and wanted to go ahead and post it. I'm sorry to say there will be a large number of flashbacks in this chapter, but I need to set up some things. However, this one does have the tamers in it. It is also longer than the last one, which is another plus. Hopefully, you will enjoy this chapter fairly well. So, here we go.**

A routine, you would think, would get boring after a while. Day in and day out, doing the exact same thing. But surprisingly, Impmon was enjoying his new lifestyle. The small, purple rookie digimon with a red bandana, gloves, and a knack for trouble grinned slightly as he considered it.

First thing, he would wake up at the insistence of two young twins, also known as Ai and Mako, who wanted to play. After keeping the active pair busy for a little while, the tamers' mother would announce breakfast and he would grab his. Soon as he practically inhaled his food (which would lead to her rolling her eyes at his table manners), he'd head out for a while. Ai and Mako would watch him leave with some concern, but they were getting more trusting that he'd be fine. They were great kids overall, and he could sort of understand why they would worry (Impmon did not want to reflect on that too much though), so he accepted that they didn't like him leaving. At least they weren't as clingy as Bunny-boy and his brainiac partner.

After leaving the Olkowski residence, he headed towards another home. Jeri Katou. He still felt a heavy sense of guilt when he thought about his past actions concerning her, so he kept an eye on her. True, through a series of interesting circumstances (which again was not a fun memory for him), her partner Leomon was with her once more. But a tall, lion-like being with a sword tended to be noticed walking around. And even if the humans in the neighborhood were becoming slowly more adjusted to the presence of the digital creatures, it was easier for their nerves not to be confronted with the larger ones too often. So Leomon tended to remain either on Jeri's roof or in the park. Impmon was less noticeable and just kept an eye out for her when she wasn't near the champion or another one of the digimon. He wasn't sure if she noticed his presence, and he would automatically have denied he was playing body guard for the girl, but it made him feel… better to make sure she was safe. Not that he didn't trust Leomon to protect her. So his mornings were spent quietly trailing her, like a certain fox-face with her Ice Queen partner, while amusing himself with snagging snacks from the various carts and scaring poor, unlucky humans (at a reasonable distance from the brown-haired girl or else she would definitely notice him). After she either went to the park, met up with another tamer, ended up at school, or drew near her actual partner, Impmon would once again swing by the house to see his tamers and get lunch.

Then was the weirdest part of his day. This one only took a few moments and it seemed like a waste of time, but he had to do it. A few houses down, he felt drawn to check on another child. There was no logical reason why he felt it was so important to watch out for her, like he did for his partners or Jeri, but he did. This one was four years old, just like Impmon's tamers. She had dark hair and deep blue eyes. Her expression was always one of cheerful innocence. But she was more than just another kid. Or she would be…

"Impmon," called Mako, his voice snapping the purple rookie out of his unusually peaceful reflection.

"Yeah? What is it, munchkin?" he yawned.

The virus digimon was lying on the roof, enjoying the sun's warmth. The whole week had been cloudy and cool. Given the change in weather, he knew that eventually a few romantically inclined pairs would dare the approach of winter to enjoy the coming sunset and each other's company. Which meant Impmon had plans for them. But until then, he was relaxing. Below, however, his tamers seemed to disagree with his desire.

"Come on," coaxed Ai sweetly. "We have to go. Suzie's party will be starting soon."

He muffled a groan. The creepily-adorable sister of brainiac Henry was turning eight and she was essentially having two parties. One that had been made up of equally annoying pretty-in-pink classmates. Terriermon and Lopmon had hidden in the park that day. The other one, today's, was made up of tamers, digimon, and those who were part of that group. And no one had any excuse to escape.

At least there would be food and, if he was lucky, a possibility of Bunny-boy suffering. It would be worth it just to see that. And if that girl came near him with anything pink…

"Alright," he groaned, sitting up. "But if we have to go, we're going in style."

As Impmon leapt off the roof, his form grew and shifted. What landed on the ground was a tall, black shape. While most of the digimon cared about worrying the humans in the area, he actually enjoyed a little panic. Leather jacket and a pair of guns suggested he was a member of an extreme biker gang. A large, high-tech weapon covered one of his arms while the other sported sharp fingertips. Raven-black wings burst from his back and three emerald eyes glittered from beneath a dark helmet. The entire figure looked like something from a nightmare. Mrs. Olkowski barely glanced out of the window.

"You two be good for Beelzemon," she instructed, "and mind your manners. All three of you."

"Sorry toots," laughed the mega as he took flight, holding the two four year olds and a colorfully wrapped package in one arm easily. "Can't hear you."

Mother of the youngest tamers in Shinjuku, she simply shook her head at the digimon. While she had been rather startled the first time she saw the mega form of him, threatening to beat the demon-shaped being with a frying pan, Mrs. Olkowski could now see that he was the same trouble-maker as the small purple pyro-maniac that couldn't quite hide his good heart beneath his attitude. She, her husband, and the other parents had simply subscribed to the age old tradition not judging by appearance when it came to digimon.

"Have fun," she chuckled as they disappeared out of view.

* * *

"Henry!" screamed a green and white rabbit-like being, leaping from the ground to a bench to the shoulder of a boy. "Save me!"

"Tewwiermon! Come back!" ordered a young girl, chasing after him. "I have to get you weady fow the pawty! Lopmon is alweady pwetty with pink wibbons. Now you!"

Henry, older brother to the girl and partner to Terriermon, sighed, "Suzie, leave him alone. Why don't you go play with Calumon and the others?"

Suzie gave him a slight glare at the older boy, "Fine, but don't blame me if he doesn't look pwetty."

With that, she dashed over to where the white creature floated through the air while a large red dinosaur tried to catch him. A brown-haired boy with yellow goggles was also engaged in the game of tag. All three were surprised as Suzie joined in, but adapted quickly.

"Watch out, Suzie," the boy laughed. "Guilmon's it."

The reptile smiled cheerfully, "I'm it. I'm it. Come on, Takatomon. You can be it too!"

"Guilmon, that's not how it works," chuckled Takato.

"But we make a good team. You said so," the rookie reminded him.

Henry smiled at the odd exchange. Somehow, that particular digimon never ceased to amaze. His own digimon was easier to predict. Any minute now, Terriermon would have some kind of remark...

"Thanks," the rabbit-like creature sighed. "She was talking about a tu-tu. Poor Lopmon…"

"But Terriermon," asked the boy, feeling a little mischievously, "don't you like playing Princess Pretty-pants anymore?"

"I never thought you'd join the dark side," muttered Terriermon after staring for a moment in disbelief and then shaking his head, "but that was evil, Henry."

A picnic table had been set up for the event. Along with a huge pink cake, the table held a brown and pink bunny who could nearly be Terriermon's twin. Lopmon, partner to Suzie, was done up in ribbons and bows. The poor former Deva looked resigned to her fate. Under a nearby tree, a girl in a ponytail and a tall yellow fox leaned against the bark and observed the rough-housing. Rika and Renamon tried to look mature and aloof, but occasionally a smile flickered on their faces.

A little farther, two boys were engaged in a card game. One wore glasses and had a small pink shape poking out of his pocket. The other wore a cap and had a large metallic being standing behind him cheering. Kenta and MarineAngemon. Kazu and Guardromon. An interesting group of friends that had changed so much. Both humans were still a pair of goofballs, but a sense of responsibility had somehow snuck up on the tamers. It had happened around a month and a half ago, when about half the tamers were in the digital world. During that week, a lot had happened to influence them. Kazu getting burned by Meramon, Biomerging, Ryo…

Henry pulled his mind away from that thought. While Cyberdramon and his human partner had not been their closest friends, they were still… The boy once more forced his mind to more cheerful ideas.

Yamaki, the blond man who once represented the enemy of all digimon and now the oldest tamer here, was talking with the boy's father. Hypnos was officially in charge of all digimon bioemerges and such. In reality, those like Shibumi, Dolphin, Henry's own father, and the other Monster Makers assisted Hypnos which played support for the tamers. Yamaki had recently joined the ranks of the tamers when he became the partner to Calumon, the most energetic and innocent being ever. The thought still made all the children smile. Especially when the happy digimon convinced the mature and business-like man to loosen up when he thought no one was looking.

"Hi everyone," a familiar voice called.

The boy turned to the sound. A tall shape was approaching carrying two children. One was around the same age as most of the tamers and wore a green dress. The other was a young boy with a happy expression. The digimon, a lion-like figure with a sword, was carrying the pair on his shoulders. Leomon and Jeri together again was the most joyful sight one could imagine. When she had lost her partner, the girl had sunk into a depression that had not ended until the near destruction of both the human and digital worlds at the hands of the D-reaper, which still caused her occasional guilt. With the brave champion once more restored to life, Jeri was completely her cheerful self again. Even her half-brother, Masahiko, enjoyed the presence of the tall lion, though he was more closely connected with Calumon. The white being remained in the Katou residence most of the time even after gaining Yamaki as his partner.

A few more faces were scattered around the park that Henry knew. While for the most part, digimon were becoming more accepted by the community, especially by the kids, some parents were still wary of the digital beings. So, Suzie had received an earlier party for those who would not have been allowed to attend today's event. Everyone invited here today was perfectly comfortable sitting next to a red dinosaur or a large humanoid lion. This included Ayaka from school, Henry's sensei, Destiny…

The boy sighed. That girl was a real mystery. He could remember when Impmon had come to his house about a week after they returned to the digital world…

* * *

**Henry had been at his desk, trying to finish his homework. Apparently saving two worlds, twice now, was no excuse for late assignments. Of course, this time the threat had been less obvious to the general public. Terriermon was dozing on the bed. Both of them jumped as someone knocked on the window.**

**A pair of emerald eyes stared through the glass. A familiar impish grin at their reaction greeted them. The tamer slid open the window to admit the purple rookie.**

"**Impmon? What's going on?" the boy asked, noticing an odd expression on the digimon's face.**

"**Brainiac, you're pretty smart, right? Could you come back with me?" requested the virus type. "I need your opinion on something weird."**

"**And when you find something weird, you automatically think of us," commented the rabbit digimon. "How nice."**

**Henry sighed in resignation, "Terriermon."**

"**Momentai!"**

**Impmon rolled his eyes in annoyance, "And could you leave Bunny-boy here? I don't think his commentary will help."**

**Frowning slightly, the boy became very intrigued. Whatever the mystery was, it had the rookie acting so thoughtful. Once Impmon would never have asked for help in anything. Even now, it was a rare act. But apparently he felt that whatever it was that seemed so strange was worth the effort. His eyes seemed so preoccupied. And Henry was growing more and more curious.**

"…**Okay," he nodded.**

"**No way am I staying here," argued Terriermon. "I'm coming and you can't stop me."**

"**Suzie!" her brother called suddenly. "I think Terriermon wants to play with you!"**

**The young girl burst in, babbling excitedly about "Pwincess Pwetty-pants," and dragged the poor rabbit out of the room in less than a minute. The purple rookie was left blinking in amazement at the relentlessness and speed of the young tamer.**

"**That… was scarier than he D-reaper," he muttered in shock. "If Ai ever turns out like that… What's going to happen to him?"**

**Henry reassured him, "It's nothing that she hasn't done before. Now, where are we going?"**

"**Ai's and Mako's house. What I need your advice on should still be there."**

"**So what's the fastest way there: walking?"**

**Impmon climbed back out the window, grinning once more, "Flying."**

**Henry allowed himself to be picked up by Beelzemon. While he had been airborne in various states before, he had never been carried by the raven-winged mega before. It was a little odd since he had once tried to kill the tamers, though at the time he did not fly. Still, all of them trusted the virus type now. The setting sun turned the sky golden as they soared towards their destination.**

**They actually landed a short distance from the house and the digimon reverted to is rookie form. He then leapt up on the fence and glanced down on the far side. Henry waited to see what the big deal.**

"**Hey, assorted munchkins," the purple digimon called to those out of sight. "Come around front for a second."**

"**Okay," answered Mako's voice.**

**A few minutes later, the front door opened up to reveal three young children. Ai and Mako grinned as they spotted the older tamer. The third was also strangely familiar.**

"**Hi Henry," greeted Ai, "This is our new friend, Destiny."**

**The boy stiffened at the name. He studied the new young girl's face closely. Henry could see features he recognized. Especially her deep blue eyes. Last time he had seen this shade, they had been in an older child.**

"…**Nice to meet you," the boy whispered. "How old are you, Destiny?"**

**The girl held up her right hand with her thumb folded down. "Four."**

**As far as he could tell, this girl was a younger version of the girl they had met who could manipulate the boundaries between the worlds and possessed unbelievable knowledge of prophecies in appearance and even had the same name. While the twins had not yet appeared to make the connection, Impmon had.**

"**Henry has a digimon too," explained Mako excitedly. "Terriermon looks like a bunny and is always saying 'Momentai.' But Impmon is cooler."**

**The older tamer forced a smile and mentioned, "While it was very nice to see you, I have to get home so Terriermon doesn't cause any trouble."**

"**And I'll be back in a minute, munchkins," added Impmon. "Just need to talk to him for a minute."**

"**Okay," nodded Ai.**

**As soon as the three young children re-entered the house, the purple rookie asked, "Please tell me it's not just me. You guys saw her more, but that…"**

**The boy nodded slowly, "Yeah, she looks exactly like her, only younger."**

"**So you agree that's weird. Not our normal 'creepy jell-o, attacking Devas, two versions of me' weird, but 'Guilmon on a diet, Renamon throwing a tantrum, quiet and polite Terriermon' weird. Why do we have the mini-version of cloak girl running around? How does that end up working?"**

**Henry carefully considered, "She more or less told us she travels through time, space, and realities. I think this is her before she started it up. This Destiny **_**is **_**the younger her before he began to handle prophecies. She's never met us yet because that's in her future, but our past."**

"**Time travel," the digimon muttered. "Way too many headaches."**

* * *

**The next day, Henry had filled all the older tamers and their digimon in on the strange development. The announcement had been received with a wide range of reactions. Kazu had worn an expression of confusion. Kenta had looked shocked and disappointed. Takato had tilted his head, his mouth open to question and no words able to form yet. Guilmon was blinking his yellow eyes. You could almost see him try to figure out how the girl they had met in the digital world could be a child near the twins' size and age now. No doubt the innocent rookie was considering if it was possible for her to have de-digivolved, even though he now understood the differences between humans and digimon. Jeri and Leomon both just waited to learn more; curious and thoughtful of the oddness. Guardromon seemed to have real trouble with the logic behind the concept but could not immediately disprove Henry's theory. Kenta's partner, still in the grey in-training stage of Bukamon at this point, didn't seem to care too much beyond looking at his human's reaction. Rika and Renamon were harder to read.**

**Renamon's icy blue gaze was always difficult to decipher. The yellow fox generally kept her emotions under her control. But the boy could almost imagine a look of intrigued interest in her face at the revelation that Destiny could exist in their world, their neighborhood, in the form of a sweet child.**

**The yellow rookie's partner was also surprisingly blank faced. But her eyes seemed to burn with frustration and anger. The Digimon Queen was still bitter over what had happened to Ryo and his partner. While she had treated his playful flirting with general distaste, the older tamer's antics had grown on her. They may not have been a "romantic date, moonlight walks, boyfriend/girlfriend" pair like Terriermon liked to suggest (when he was WAY out of earshot), but she threatened to kill him less often than she did with Kazu and Kenta. That was as close to admitting to being his friend as she would ever do. She blamed the deaths of the boy and digimon on Destiny because the prophetess had to have known and didn't say a word. But on the other hand, all the tamers had received the impression she could only tell them so much and could not change certain events. And as angry as she might feel, even Rika couldn't blame a young child who hadn't done anything yet. No matter how much she might want to.**

"**So, the creepy cloak version we met was from the future," Terriermon commented slowly. "And… that means Kenta's in love with a four year old!" **

**As the named boy turned bright red, Henry rolled his eyes, "Terriermon, not helpful and not tactful at all. And that's not the point. This kid's going to vanish in about eight years and eventually meet us last week."**

"**Ow," the rabbit complained. "My brain hurts. Time travel: it's a cornucopia of disturbing concepts."**

**Takato raised his hand, as if he was in class, "So what do about it? I mean, as far as we know, we can't change it. She's going to be scooped up and teamed up with a partner so she can help out prophecies."**

"**And eventually lose her partner," reminded Renamon.**

**The boy nodded as he continued, "And I've seen enough sci-fi movies to know that trying to bother the past, or future, or whatever isn't good. If we try to change what happens to her, even if we knew how, would mess up what's already happened to us. Ugh, this is confusing."**

"**No, I get it," Kenta declared, his face still tinged pink. "Changing Destiny's future changes our past."**

**Rika growled, "Maybe a change wouldn't be so bad. Maybe if she hadn't messed up our lives, things would be better."**

"**Or they could be worse," murmured the yellow fox.**

"**Don't you remember what would have happened if she didn't get us involved," Jeri asked. "The D-reaper/evil Beelzemon would have eventually come out of the dark dimension and destroyed everything."**

**Takato sighed, "There is still the question of what do we do."**

"**We keep an eye on her," shrugged Henry. "She had no problem with Impmon, so I doubt she'll have any trouble meeting the rest sometime. I suggest we keep in contact with her and watch out for signs of anything odd."**

"**What counts as odd anymore?" asked Kenta reasonably.**

* * *

"Hello! Earth to Henry," Terriermon called, waving in front of the boy's face. "You zoned out."

"Sorry about that," apologized the boy.

The green and white rabbit shook his head, "I wonder about you sometimes. What were you doing?"

"Just thinking."

"Okay… Hey, when do we get the cake?" he asked. "I want to make sure I get some before Guilmon eats it all."

"We have to wait until everyone gets here," answered the tamer patiently. "So we still need Ai, Mako, their neighbor, Destiny, and Impmon."

As the rookie digimon opened his mouth, likely to snidely suggest that the party would be better without the fire-tossing troublemaker, a shadow passed overhead. Swooping down like a bird of prey was the familiar shape of Beelzemon. The mega landed easily on the ground, holding his two young partners comfortably. The sweet appearance of the twins contrasted sharply with the dangerous glint in his emerald eyes, but the children were thrilled by their flight and had no problems with their partner's form. Terriermon did have a comment about the mega's arrival, however.

"I'll give the showoff one thing. He can make an entrance."

**Things will pick up somewhat soon. I just need to bring everything up to speed and make sure it makes sense. I promise the next chapter will not disappoint. Please leave a review. I like to know what you think.**


	3. Crash

**Hey there! This chapter is going to get a little confusing if you don't watch or read many time travel situations. It is possible to have multiples of the same person existing in the same place as long as they come from different points in their own personal time line. While that runs the risk of a paradox, that risk is reduced if they do not make actual contact. **

**I also hope none of you do mind a little chaotic destruction. There will be mentions vaguely of death, but not really specific at this point. Finally, if you like how things are going so far, leave a review please. I like a little feedback, both positive and negative. However, do not just complain for no real reason. So thank you and hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Destiny was practically bouncing with excitement in her seat. She had been invited to a birthday party for one of her new friends. The young girl watched cars and trucks of various shapes and sizes pass by the window as her parents drove her to the park. While the walk there was not unbearable to manage, they were planning to run some errands while she was there. But her mother had given her specific instructions to be on her best behavior and to do what the adults told her to.

The girl grinned to herself as she watch a long, silvery, cylindrical truck with stickers on it pull past the car window. She had been a little sad when she'd found out they were moving away from her old home. It wasn't that she'd been leaving a lot of friends behind, but she was going to miss her old room. Now, she had new friends. She was even friends with big kids. And digimon.

The child had found the presence of the digital creatures amazing. The first one she had seen, she hadn't really been that surprised or afraid by his appearance. Impmon had seemed more startled than she had been. But the purple creature's presence was reassuring rather than disturbing. Eventually, she began to meet the other digimon and their tamers. Guilmon had been really friendly as well as his partner, Takato. Leomon and Jeri had been nice too. The first time she had met Henry, the same day as she had met Ai, Mako, and Impmon, he had acted odd. But he was actually a nice person and Terriermon was funny sometimes. One pair seemed less comfortable than the others, though mostly they felt like they were hiding something (even though all older people tried to hide things from kids. It was like a rule or something).

Rika, the older girl with a ponytail and a shirt with a blue heart on it, didn't seem to like Destiny very much. She acted polite to the child, but there was coldness to her voice and behavior. And when she met Rika's gaze, Destiny could see anger burning beneath the surface. The young, dark-haired child had always been good at telling when someone was just pretending about how they felt, even those adults who hated kids and would say "what a darling child, I wish I had one just like her" anyway. But the older girl tried to hide her feelings and treat her fairly. Still, the blue-eyed child had to wonder why Rika seemed to hate her, even when she tried not to.

The yellow fox, Renamon, was on the other end of the spectrum. The digimon's icy stare hid much. Concealing her thoughts and emotions was no trouble for her. Even Impmon had mentioned how much she could hide and that he could never figure her out. But from what little the girl could gather, Renamon did not really share her partner's anger. At times, she seemed to watch Destiny with a look of sadness or pity. Sometimes, she could get that same feeling from some of the other older kids and digimon. Even from Impmon.

Destiny closed her eyes and smiled. That purple digimon was really something. He was always acting tough and talking like he was the strongest thing in both worlds. But he still would play tag with his partners and her when Destiny came over. Sometimes, she would glance out the window and see a blur of purple. Even if he acted like he could take care of himself and didn't really need anyone about half the time, he still kept an eye out for his friends. For all his toughness, Destiny could tell he was a big softie.

Car horns shattered her thoughts. She could hear her parents screaming in fear. Her blue eyes flew open. The silvery cylindrical truck that she could remember having a sticker with a picture of fire on it was sliding sideways across the road. Other cars were swerving to try and avoid it, their tires screeching with effort. In those few seconds of chaos, her family's car about to smash into the truck, her father at the wheel tried to turn them away from the danger. It was too late to change the vehicle's momentum however. It seemed it was their destiny to crash. The girl closed her eyes once more, trying not to scream in terror. The car jerked as it made impact, tossing the child around sharply within the confines of her seatbelt. An instant later, a sense of extreme heat and pressure hit her. Then…silence.

Destiny waited, shaking, as the unnatural silence continued. By now, her parents should be asking if she was alright. After all, she could feel tears on her cheeks brought on by her fear. her mother would see that and should be trying to comfort her. But nothing broke the quietness. As the stillness continued, the girl decided to open her eyes.

Utter blackness greeted her. It wasn't dark, for she could see herself clearly even with no obvious sources of light. She was just sitting in… nothingness. Destiny glanced down at herself, growing surprised at her change in appearance. She no longer was wearing a pretty party dress. She was wearing a simple white one that reached down to her ankles. Her feet were bare. The girl studied her limbs more carefully. She wasn't sure since she had nothing to compare it to, but she thought she was bigger than before.

"Hello…" she whispered, her words breaking the silence. "Is there anyone there?"

Something… appeared in her mind. Not a voice or anything like that. Just ideas, images, and concepts that together created an answer.

"Chosen? I was chosen and saved to fulfill an important role?" she asked, not noticing her voice and phrasing sounded more mature than before. "I don't understand. Where am I? What happened and where's my family? I remember something... bad was happening?"

The odd insertion repeated itself, giving her more information that did not seem to answer what she had asked.

"Forget? I can choose to forget and help others? Why do I want to forget anything and how can I help anyone? I'm only a little girl."

The silent, wordless something or someone brought he attention to what she was already beginning to notice. Her arms and legs were longer than before. She wasn't that young anymore.

"What happened? I'm… older. Please, just tell me why I'm here and like this?"

By this point, Destiny thought she might be about to cry again. Like she had been in the car earlier. When they had been sliding towards the truck. When they crashed…

"I'm dead, aren't I?" whispered the girl quietly. "We crashed and I died."

The image of the car slamming into the side of the truck and its flammable contents igniting appeared in her mind. Flames swallowed everything. She shook her head sharply banishing the vision. Another idea arrived in her thoughts.

"I have a choice. I can accept responsibility and help you with… prophecies, you say? Helping to balance realities? I can take the job and forget my past or I can accept the same fate as my family and what should have happened to me too."

Could she give up all her memories? Her family? Her friends? The tamers? Her best friends, Ai and Mako? The digimon? The good and the bad of her life? Everything? Tears rolled down her face uninhibited. But her family was dead and she should be. There was no home to go back to.

"You said… you said I would be helping people," she sniffed, wiping the tears away. "I can help others? I… accept."

As these words left her mouth, another shape appeared in the darkness. He was shorter than her and she recognized what he was. He was an Impmon. But his eyes were soft sea green instead of… Wait, what? She couldn't remember anything before she appeared in the darkness. Even a few of the events here were fuzzy. Why couldn't she remember anything? She knew her name was Destiny… (Did she have a last name?) and that the creature before her was a digimon named Impmon. He looked as confused as she felt.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously. "And why am I getting odd updates in my head?"

The girl answered, as she received more information to her mind, "Destiny. And I think… I'm your partner."

He snorted, "Oh yeah? Prove it."

As the human began to admit she couldn't, a dark green light that somehow held hints of lavender appeared in mid-air. She held out her hand and caught the device that materialized. Somehow, she knew it was a D-arc, but she didn't know why she knew this. With a smile to herself, she held it up to show the digimon.

"Proof enough for you or do you need a receipt from the mystery whatever that stuck us here?"

Impmon returned the grin, "I got to admit, Dee: you have a sense of humor at least. Maybe you won't drive me crazy too fast. So, any idea what they want and why we're here?"

Destiny nodded slowly, searching through her limited memory, "We have to, according to them, use prophecies to balance realities."

"Great. Any idea what that means?"

"Not really, but I think we'll figure it out."

"Terrific plan, Dee. We just wing it and hope for the best?"

"Pretty much."

"...Okay, let's go save the world," he sighed. A second later, he asked, "If we're doing this weird, mystical prophecy thing, shouldn't we look the part more? Like with black cloaks or something?"

An odd pulling sensation grabbed them both, moving them out of the darkness. As they found themselves traveling through time and space, a tiny whisper of an idea appeared in the back of their minds.

Destiny and Fate: intertwined and connected forever.

* * *

Explosions are hard to ignore. And you when you spend so much time on a battle field, you tend to be familiar with them. So when they heard one in the distance, the digimon and tamers sprang into action before anyone else broke out of their shock at the noise.

"There wasn't any Bioemergence, so it can't be a digimon," pointed out Rika as she and Renamon headed towards the sound.

Henry explained, "Maybe not, but people could still be hurt. And we're close by. We have to help out."

"And of course, because there is absolutely no danger of fighting this time, the younger guys stay behind," muttered his partner. "How does that make sense? They get dragged into battle all the time, no matter what we do, but during a recon mission, they actually stay out of the way."

"Speak for yourself," grumbled Beelzemon. "We barely get to the park, and suddenly chaos breaks loose. And instead of agreeing to stay at the party, I find that these two won't let go of me unless I let them come too."

"Sorry," Ai mumbled.

The dark mega sighed, "It's alright, I guess. But you two need to chill out. I can take care of myself you know."

"Says the guy who got killed twice in one week before," reminded Terriermon.

"Terriermon, you're not helping," growled, of all people, Jeri.

Takato asked, "Can we just stay focused on the situation?"

Almost unconsciously, the tamers and digimon had divided into the same teams as they had when they last split up (even though everyone had tried to convince the twins to remain). The similarity only served to demonstrate more strongly the absence of one of the pairs. Now Takato, Henry, Rika, Guilmon, and Leomon were sprinting along the path out of the park. Renamon moved nearly invisibly through the trees. Terriermon and Jeri rode on their respective partner's shoulders. Finally, Beelzemon flew overhead carrying his overprotective tamers. It seemed to be a lot of people to inspect a disturbance that they knew wasn't caused by digimon, but they felt like they should be there.

As they left the boundaries of the park, and Renamon joined them on the ground, the collection of digimon began to receive odd looks from the population, but most of the people still seemed focused on the cloud of black smoke rising in the distance. It seemed the novelty of digital creatures was outweighed in this case by the possible destruction of property (and strangely those two things generally went together). At least the people had enough sense to get out of the way of the running youths and their partners.

Beelzemon didn't worry as much about what the humans on the street were doing. All he wanted to do was get there, figure out what the problem was, shoot anything that needed it, and get back and eat. Obviously it wasn't digimon related, so he didn't expect this errand to take long and there hadn't been anymore disturbances since the initial explosion. If it wasn't for the plume of smoke rising into the air, not to mention the reactions of those below, one wouldn't know anything was wrong.

Until he rounded a corner. The mega stopped in mid-flight at the insanity before him. Humans were climbing away from their trashed cars, some with nasty looking cuts. The closer to the source of the flickering flames, the worst the damage. One of those long, silvery trucks used to transport dangerous, toxic, or flammable chemicals laid sideways across the street. Considering that it, and anywhere it could have splashed onto, was on fire, Beelzemon was willing to bet it had been carrying the third kind. The strong smell of smoke, burning rubber, and strange chemicals filled the air as thickly as the cloud of smoke itself. Several cars that had been closest to it were also aflame, their drivers either already out or else they were no longer able to escape anyway. In the distance, sirens could already be heard.

"Oh my…" gasped Jeri as the rest of the group caught sight of the chaos. "What…"

"No way!" Terriermon shouted.

Henry struggled to collect his thoughts, "We… we should try… try to help. Get some of these people to the hospital."

Realizing maybe the combination of fire, destruction, and people in pain was not the best things to expose his young tamers to right now, the mega suggested, "Munchkins, why don't you close your eyes for now."

"But Beelzemon…" muttered Mako slowly, "Doesn't that look like Destiny's car?"

How in the world a four year old boy could recognize the burning husk as the white vehicle that had been parked in her driveway was a mystery. But as he mentioned the similarity, the tamers and digimon noticed the white paint bubbling with the heat. And while the entire front and driver door were smashed in from impact, the shape seemed to match the car model. While that wasn't enough to prove anything, the boy's words sowed dread in them. Even more so when they realized that no one could have survived.

"…No," breathed the virus type in disbelief, landing on the ground near the others.

"She can't be," Renamon whispered. "If she is… then how can we have met her when she's older?"

"Did we cause this to happen?" asked Henry, his eyes haunted by the scene. "She was coming to see us. If we didn't try to be friends with her, maybe she'd been fine until she became…"

"What's going on?" asked Ai. "I don't understand. What are you talking about? Beelzemon, what happened?"

He didn't know what to say. None of the younger tamers had been told cloak Destiny and young Destiny might be the same person. How could he explain all the weird paradox/time-space continuum stuff to four year olds? And while Mako had spotted the destroyed car, they hadn't made the connection yet. They might understand the concept of death somewhat better now, but they were friends with the young girl. If they were told she was possibly dead…

Before anyone could respond to Ai's questions, a strange disturbance formed in the air. It wasn't a portal to the digital world. All of them recognized those as well as the fog that preceded Bioemerged. It was a shimmer that slowly gained dark color. In a few seconds, a cloak-shaped solidified. Pushing down the hood, dark hair, blue eyes, and a familiar face was revealed.

"Greetings tamers and digimon. It is good to see you again," Destiny announced.

* * *

"What's taking them so long?" whined Kazu. "They should be back by now."

"Kazu, shouldn't you be more worried that people could have been hurt in that explosion rather than missing out on something?" scolded Kenta.

"Pii pii pii," added MarineAngemon, fixing the boy with a stern look.

Kazu raised his hands in defense, "I am worried about them. Really. I just don't like being left out, oh fearless leader."

The bespectacled child sighed at the gentle teasing of his friend. Ever since he led his fellow tamers against a super-powered Devimon, Kazu had taken to calling him that whenever he could. Kenta didn't feel like he should have that title, even as a joke. He had spent so much time in the background. He had already spent most of his life playing the side-kick quite happily. Until a girl with amazing blue eyes told him to step up and take charge.

"I'm sure…" he began, but became silent as something began to form in front of them.

All the adults and anyone else not a tamer began to freak out. Anyone who didn't see various Bioemerges would not be used to something appearing out of nothing. Yamaki stared in interest along with the three other tamers. The object solidified into a dark cloaked shape.

"Greetings tamers and digimon. I come bearing news," she announced. "My name is Destiny and I am here to help you."

**Okay, this must seem odd. I'll explain as best I can. Let's call young, four year old Destiny "A," the prophetess somewhere in the middle of her time at her job "B," and the one on her last prophecy as "C." They are from different points in her life. "A" has just begun on her job while "B" has been at it for a while. As I said, "C" is at the end. Thus, in this chapter, I show you three stages in her life. Understand?**

**Okay, if not, just tell me and I'll try to explain better. "A" meets Fate for the first time. "B" is with Kazu and them. "C" is with Takato and the rest. All you really need to understand is that right now we have two versions Destiny talking to two groups of tamers and digimon at the same time.**

**Tell me what you think, please. Thanks.**


	4. Two Destinies

**First off, Happy Birthday to me! (Sorry, had to say it. Posting this is a good present to me.)**

**Next, I guess you feel that it is a little confusing with multiple Destiny versions running around. I'll try to simplify somewhat. The youngest Destiny is now teamed up with Fate. She eventually becomes the version talking to Kazu, Kenta, Yamaki, Suzie, and their digimon (after many, many prophecies). She does not remember being here in her past or that she has met these people before as a small child. She will only be interacting with that group. Afterwards, ( again, after several other prophecies) she will eventually become the Destiny that encounters the tamers in the story "Destiny." After she finishes that one, she finally (after the rest of her innumerable prophecies) comes to be the Destiny that is shown in the first chapter of this story, and is currently talking to Takato, Rika, Henry, Jeri, Ai, Mako, and their partners. This one has memories of the events covered in "Destiny" so she can more easily interact with the tamers and digimon. Thus we now have a very vague timeline of her life.**

**From this point, you will only be dealing with two points of her life. Two versions of Destiny. They are still the same person, just at different points in her lifetime as a prophetess and fulfiller of prophecies. You will have the one with Kenta's group (which I referred to as Destiny B in the footnotes of the last chapter) and the one with the main group of tamers (which I referred to as Destiny C in the footnotes of the last chapter). While I will not be referring to them as anything other than Destiny in the story, you can tell the difference by who she is interacting with or, later, which reality she is in. (Another hint is that Destiny B will keep her hood and cloak up while Destiny C will keep her face revealed in this story. After all, she got into that habit in her last encounter with the tamers.)**

**I hope that clears things up a little. Overall, I know time travel can create confusion. But I love the opportunities it can create in the right hands. Hopefully mine **_**are**_** the right hands. So, give it a chance.**

**Oh, and in case you didn't guess, I do not own digimon, the tamers, or a lot of the stuff in the story. I did invent the characters of Destiny and Fate. Basically, if it was on the show, I don't own it. If it's new, then I likely devised it. However, I'll try to claim my stuff. And you may borrow them if you like. Just give me credit and let me know so I can see.**

Silence, except for the approaching emergency vehicles, greeted the prophetess' words. All the tamers and digimon stared in shock at the girl the majority had believed to have just died. Destiny was simply standing in the street, her back to the chaos, and apparently ignoring everything except for those she was facing.

The first to speak to her was Ai. The young tamer, while mildly surprised at the older girl's arrival, responded to the increasing strange circumstances of the children's lives with the acceptance of innocent youth.

"Hi Destiny," she greeted. "Why are you here today? Did you come for Suzie's party too? Because we're busy right now, but we were just there."

The dark-haired girl narrowed her eyes, as if considering or trying to remember something. By this point, another had found her voice. And this one was not nearly as friendly as Ai's.

"Back to ruin someone else's life?" asked Rika harshly. While she had been just as horrified at the thought of the young child's possible death, it had also reminded her of Ryo's funeral. All the tamers had attended, even as the grieving father had glared at them. Rika had ended up wearing a dark dress, a real change for her, and spent too much time staring at an empty coffin. After Devimon's attack, there hadn't even been a body to bury. The unfairness of it all: his death, the blame Ryo's family had placed on the tamers and digimon for the event, and knowledge that Destiny had known, all of it had burned in her mind all this time. And now she intended to express her frustration. "Last time we saw you, not only do we get dragged around without a clue of what was going on, but we come home to find out you forgot to tell us that one of our friends and his partner were dead. So, now you show up again. How many are you going to kill through your interfering this time?"

"Rika…" gasped Takato.

Destiny looked down at the ground, ashamed, "I understand you hate me, all of you. I would in your place. I know that prophecies cause pain to those tangled within them. And it was a heavy burden to bear once, and yet I am here again to ask too much of you."

"Wait a minute," frowned Henry. "I thought you didn't get to remember past prophecies. So how do you remember us or what happened last time you were here? Or do you not actually remember?"

" Surprisingly, I do. It's rather interesting, to actually remember more than fragments. I needed to remember because you remember. And it seems for this one, I'll be dealing with you again… I think," she answered, her expression narrowing as she considered carefully her thoughts.

"'Think'? I thought you were so wise and all-knowing," Rika snapped, her fury not nearly spent yet. "And when did any of us agree to get involved with your plans and prophecies again?"

"Digimon Queen," sighed Impmon, having reverted to his rookie form while the girl had ranted. "Queen of the temper in my opinion. Shouldn't you listen a little before you attack Dee? That way you'll have more ammo to throw at her. Or we could just stand around waiting for you to calm down on your own. Which could take a while, toots. Totally up to you. But, considering she did kind of help out some last time, I think listening is a better option." The purple rookie made a face. "Oh great. I sound like Braniac with his whole 'give peace a chance' attitude."

Jeri, with more reason than most to accept the dark-haired girl's advice, asked, "Destiny, the prophecy did cause a lot of pain last time we met, but you also did us some good." Her eyes glanced over at her partner momentarily. "What is it that you need with us?"

The prophetess took a deep breath, "I need you to come with me somewhere. No questions asked."

"Why?" wondered Guilmon. "If we don't ask, how can we know?"

"The reason you can't ask me is because," she answered slowly, "I don't know."

* * *

"Why did she just introduce herself?" Kazu whispered to his friend. "We've met her before."

"Maybe not," answered Kenta, his voice equally soft. "Remember Takato, Henry, and them said she apparently doesn't remember events from other prophecies? She doesn't remember meeting us. Or maybe she hasn't met us yet. She time travels, remember? For her, it might be the first time she's run into us."

Kazu narrowed his eyes, trying to work through the mess of paradoxes and headaches that came whenever he tried to figure out a time travel movie. "And I'm guessing she doesn't remember her younger version meeting us either."

The bespectacled child nodded. Upon the girl's arrival, those present ended up being organized into three groups. Those with absolutely no idea what was occurring and did not wish to find out. These included kids from school like Ayaka and Jeri's half-brother, Masahiko. They had moved so that they had the picnic table between them and the stranger who had popped out of thin air. There were those who had a small idea or whose natural curiosity out-weighed any fear. The members of this group included concerned parents, the Monster Makers who had attended, and surprisingly Henry's sensei. They were in front of the picnic table and closer, but still at a fairly safe distance. Finally, those with the greatest familiarity with Destiny stood together. This group was essentially the tamers and digimon and they stood between her and the other party guests. Not because they thought she would attack, but because she was addressing them.

"So," asked Kazu slowly, a grin forming on his face. "Are you going to ask your 'girlfriend' what she wants, Kenta, or do I have to do it for you?"

The tamer's face turned beet red and he began stuttering uncomfortably. His tiny pink partner patted the boy's face in concern. Kazu chuckled lightly.

"Hi!" called Calumon to the cloaked figure. "You're back again. Did you come for cake? You'll have to wait for Suzie to blow out the candle first. I don't know why, but that's what they said."

Yamaki, pulling off his sunglasses, stared at the girl, "You said that we need your help. Might I ask what with? Last time we spoke with you, you brought news of a threat to both worlds. Is the situation of a similar magnitude this time?"

"Last time…" she considered. "I take it we've met encountered each other before then. To answer your question, at this moment in time, the existence of both worlds is as safe as can be expected. While there are always those on the edge who may someday cause harm, they are currently no danger. What I come to you about is of a different matter."

"And that would be?" asked Kenta, noticing that she had avoided answering directly about the safety of the digital and human world.

Destiny, her words as calm as everything she had spoken so far, turned her hooded head towards the bespectacled tamer. "How far would you go to save a friend? Would you travel to another world? Would you be willing to leave now if it meant saving Ryo and his partner?"

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know?" shouted Rika, causing the nearby paramedics and car crash victims alike to flinch. While the tamers and digimon had been in discussion (or in Rika's case, argument) with Destiny, the professionals had gone to work on the chaos. So far, emergency personnel had left the children alone, but it was hard to ignore an angry Rika. "It's your job to know these things!"

"See, what did I tell you," muttered the purple rookie, covering his ears. "More ammo."

"I'm not allowed to know much ahead of time for this prophecy," the dark-haired girl explained. "There are actually two prophecies, but they are sort of interconnected. And one is… it involves me a lot. So I won't be allowed to know much in advance. The other one, involving you, is supposed to be connected. But I'm not allowed to know much yet. Which annoys me."

"Welcome to our world," retorted Terriermon and Rika at the same time before giving each other a horrified look, completely shocked to be thinking what the other had been.

Henry frowned, "Why would you be directly involved in one and why two at once? As far as I understand your job, this isn't normal."

Destiny's gaze swept across the faces of those she wanted to call her friends but felt she never would be able to. Her deep blue eyes locked on Impmon's features, longing and loneliness easily seen in her expression. She closed her eyes with a sigh.

"The reason this time is so different is because one of the prophecies is different," the girl explained carefully. "While the one involving you should be fairly normal, I think, the other is personal."

Renamon, thinking back to their first encounter with the prophetess, figured it out. "This is your last prophecy, isn't it? And the one for you…"

"… will hopefully reunite me with Fate," finished Destiny in a whisper.

* * *

"Wyo?" asked Suzie hesitantly, her young face brightening. "We could get Wyo back?"

Kazu pointed out, "I don't know if you've just been bouncing around the universe too long or what, but last time I checked, psycho Devimon killed him and Monodramon. Completely blasted him…"

"… to data," the prophetess interrupted. "No body and no one absorbed their data. Correct?"

"…No way," gasped Kenta suddenly.

"…Impossible," declared Yamaki softly at the same instant.

Destiny, hidden beneath her hood, reminded the man, "You should realize by now that very little is truly impossible."

"Okay, in case you were wondering, I haven't suddenly gained telepathy," complained Kazu. "So it would be nice if one of you would tell me what is going on."

His friend sighed, "Do you remember the television show at all?"

"I remember Tai once digivolved Agumon into SkullGreymon. Kind of like Takato and Megidramon. Later, he had MetalGreymon instead," he answered, grinning as he remembered the show.

"Focus. Do you remember Primary Village? Where Ken ended up wandering to after he got over his 'evil Dark Spore, creepy Digimon Emperor' stage?" reminded Kenta.

"And he got his partner back because Wormmon had turned into a digi-egg," nodded Kazu. "But what does this…?" The boy stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes widening. "But Ryo isn't…"

"He was Justimon at the time. So, technically, yes he was a digimon at the time of his death."

"Kazu, I'm willing to admit you have greater knowledge of the television program you are speaking of," acknowledged Guardromon. "I'm afraid I am not able to follow your references. What is it that has excited all of you so greatly?"

"Well, buddy, I don't know how to tell you this, but we think that jedi knight girl is suggesting that when Justimon was killed, the pair came back as…"

"… a digi-egg," Destiny finished.

* * *

"So part of the reason for your visit is another 'save the world' scenario," summarized Takato, "and the other is to get your partner back."

The girl nodded, "Basically, yes. I believe the main prophecy would definitely be of a similar nature to the last one you participated in, even if I don't know all the details yet. The other… I'll try not to involve you anymore than necessary. I know you must dislike anything to do with me after all that's occurred. I can handle my problem myself."

"Destiny," sighed Jeri. "You called us back to the digital world after we were left alone."

"Because Henry's dad didn't tell us what the whole plan was," complained Terriermon.

The rabbit's partner rolled his eyes but did not defend his father. He had forgiven, but would not forget.

Mako added, "You brought back Impmon to us."

The purple rookie grimaced. The young tamer wasn't just meaning that the prophetess brought back the tamers to the digital world and their partners. She also saved him after Kiwimon… Well, he owed Dee. Maybe that was why he kept an eye on the mini-version. Yet, if the car crash was anything to go on, his efforts had not been enough. On the other hand, older Dee was here now. It was probably better to just leave the weird things to Braniac and focus on the situation at hand.

"I can understand why you did not share Ryo and Cyberdramon's fate with us," Renamon declared, "I do not like it, but I understand. And you deserve to have your partner back. A digimon and their tamer have a powerful bond. The thought of losing Rika and never regaining her is impossible to consider for me."

Jeri looked down at that moment and once more Impmon was reminded of how much pain he had caused her. And if it wasn't for them being dragged into the last prophecy, the girl would still be as alone as Renamon was suggesting. And as alone as the blue-eyed girl was now. How many ways could he feel obligated to help her?

"You helped Takato keep his promise to play with me again," grinned Guilmon.

"So as much as I'd hate to say it," growled Rika grumpily. "We're in. But that doesn't mean we trust you. And we'll help you get your friend back too."

The dark-haired child stared in silence at the group's support. She knew that they would always support each other, but she had not expected such treatment for herself. Destiny had thought it was far too much to ever hope for. They may not trust her completely, for good reason, and yet they would still try and help her. Not just fulfill a prophecy or save the world, but help _her._

A certain purple virus understood her surprise. The smart thing would be to have as little to do with her as possible, but they rarely did the smart thing. If they did, Impmon knew he would have died alone in the digital world a long time ago. But the tamers and their partners believed in second chances.

Destiny stated finally, "Very well then. Are you ready?"

"Ready to go when you are, Dee," grinned Impmon. "Just… where are we going?"

"Another reality," she answered.

"Wait! What about our pare…" Henry tried to ask, but they were already disappearing.

* * *

"So all we have to do is go find them. Just like that?" asked Kenta suspiciously. "It can't be that easy."

"The boy and digimon are now back in the digital world," the girl confirmed. "All they need is for someone to lead them back."

"And I assume that you can't do it," prompted Yamaki.

The hooded head nodded, "While I can help, you must be the ones to find the lost ones. Besides, he would not know me and so I cannot guide him back."

"Let's go get Wyo," declared Suzie, hugging her partner tightly.

"Hold on," her father ordered. "You can't be planning to leave now. You're not going anywhere until Henry gets back."

"They will not return for some time," the prophetess explained. "And they will leave now or risk losing their chance." With that cryptic statement she raised her arm. From the depths of her shadowy sleeves, a bright light emerged and created a colorful shape in mid-air. A portal to the digital world. "I would not suggest trying to stop them."

Janyu Wong narrowed his eyes, "So you plan to kidnap them? And what do you know about my son."

"I would not 'kidnap' them, but I would ensure that what must occur, will occur," answered Destiny, her calm voice gaining a dangerous edge. "And because they are needed in the digital world, I will see that they arrive there. No matter what obstacles may try and block the path."

"Wow," Kazu muttered. "Kenta, your 'girlfriend' has a backbone. Be sure to never forget her birthday or anniversary."

"Shut up," he hissed back.

"It's okay, Daddy," assured Suzie. "I'm a big giwl now. I help beat bad guys like Henwy. Me and Lopmon will go get Wyo back."

"Yeah, it's just a quick search and rescue mission," Kazu added. "We'll keep her safe and if anything comes up, me and Guardromon will handle it."

"After all," grumbled Kenta, "our last rescue mission went _so_ well."

His friend reminded him, "We did save Calumon and I found my partner, Guardromon."

"And we ended up facing more Devas, getting separated, running into a crazed Beelzemon, and of course dealing with Zhuquiaomon: president of the 'I hate humans' fan club."

"Pii pii, pii pii pii," added MarineAngemon.

"Right, and bringing back D-reaper Jeri to the human world," the bespectacled boy translated.

"Come on. What are the chances that could happen again?" asked Kazu.

Yamaki sighed, "With my luck concerning digimon, very high."

"You're on our side now," reassured the boy with the cap. "That means you are now entitled to 'tamer luck.' Takato has tons of it. How else would he be able to pull off all the cool miracles? You're a tamer to the creampuff, so you should get better luck now than you did when you were just a creepy government agent."

The adult tamer, now resigned to his imminent journey to another world with only these children and digimon for company, shook his head. "Wong, please inform the members of Hypnos that they are to take orders only from you, your fellow Monster Makers, or Riley Ootori and Tally Onodera in my absence."

The stunned parent asked, "You can't be serious."

"Yes!" shouted Kazu. "Time to get Ryo. Alright cloak girl, lead the way."

"Bye Daddy," called Suzie as she stepped through the portal, still holding a ribbon-covered Lopmon. "Save me the cake and I'll open my pwesents when I get back."

"Suzie, don't…" he tried to order, but he was left speaking to empty air; the tamers, digimon, Destiny, and the portal were gone.

**And now they are off on their separate missions. And yes, I seem to have a problem with Rika. But I actually like her from the show. But she does not like others telling her she cannot control her life; whether it's her mother, other adults, or Destiny. She hates the ideas of prophecies because she loses control in her mind. Thus, she naturally has some issues with the girl. And Ryo and Cyberdramon's deaths bothered her. While she is not really romantically involved with him (she is twelve, people! The most that any of these kids would have is maybe a crush or something. Ryo, fourteen, might be closer to actual strong, long-lasting feelings, but I still just think he is enjoying teasing Rika. Now if I do have any couples, I will attempt to keep them appropriate for their ages: awkwardness around each other, lots of blushing, maybe a short kiss after a life-or-death situation, ect. Sorry about that rant. I just find it odd how many fan fiction writers have these super complex relationships for pre-teens), Rika did like Ryo somewhat. She has had trouble letting people close, with trusting people. So when she loses one of her friends, she reacts with her usual behavior: get mad and lash out. I repeat: I do not hate Rika. I just understand how she reacts.**

**Now, since I have brought up the issue of relationships, I will warn you. I will touch on most of the obvious ones I noticed when watching the show. I will not carry them to extremes. I will not drive a particular couple into the ground. There will be hints that I feel work with what has already occurred. Any other relationships (romantic or friendship) that I decide to hint at in the story will be those I believe make sense. Is that a problem? **

**Thanks for reading the story (and my long rant on relationships) and I hope you did not get insulted or take anything personally. I just feel this is the only way I could make it work for me. I'm not the best at writing romance anyway, let alone one between kids. This strategy works for me.**

**Please leave a review.**


	5. A New World

**Okay, it's time for the crossover part of the story to begin. This will be a little interesting to do. I have to keep track of two separate realities and two separate groups of tamers in this story. But this chapter will only be dealing with those in Takato, Henry, Rika and their group. Later, we'll see what's going on with Yamaki and the rest.**

**Let me know what you think and I hope I don't make anyone too out of character. Wish me luck.**

Whatever she was doing, it was extremely different than walking through one of her portals. Of course, Impmon had only traveled through two of Destiny's portals. But this was really odd. As soon as she had mentioned they were headed for another reality, everything blurred out of view. For a few seconds, they were surrounded by utter blackness. Not darkness, but blackness. Then the world began to come back into view slowly. But it looked different than before.

"…nts?" finished Henry. "Guess we just let them worry then."

Rika scanned the area before asking, "Where are we and why are we here? And why is it suddenly so warm?"

Destiny, her head tilted as if she was listening to something else, slowly answered, "In order: another reality, don't know for sure yet, and because it's summer here."

Currently, they were standing in what looked like a park. While there was no one in sight yet, a path nearby indicated that this area usually saw a lot of traffic. Dark green leaves covered the trees instead of the colorful ones back home, indicated it was indeed a different season. In the distance, tall buildings framed the skyline. And Rika was right about the warmth.

"Shouldn't we get out of sight?" asked Takato. "I really don't think we want to frighten any random joggers or something that comes by."

"Speak for yourself, Goggle-head," muttered the purple rookie.

The dark-haired prophetess shook her head. "Digimon are more common here than in your reality. There are many partnered pairs across the globe in this one. And it has only increased in the last six months. While they are not everywhere, your presence will not create a panic. The most you may gain is odd looks for the large number in one location."

"I thought you didn't have much info on what's going on," Terriermon accused. "Have you been holding out on us?"

"No, I just received more information when we arrived," she answered. "Along with instructions. I have to meet someone. Please wait here."

"You drag us to another universe and then you plan to leave us in some random park," asked Rika. "Where are you going?"

"To find a future ally and native of this world," the girl answered, already walking away. "Stay here and I'll be back soon."

Jeri, addressing the infuriated tamer, pointed out, "She knows what she's doing, Rika. She's been to other realities before and knows how to handle things. We haven't. We need to try and trust her judgment."

"Yeah, Rika, you need to momentai," added the rabbit digimon.

The girl gave Terriermon a glare, but released a resigned sigh. "Fine. But I hope we don't have to stand around here for long. I feel like an idiot just waiting around like this. And not a word or I'll tie those long ears in a knot," she threatened the green and white creature as he opened his mouth with a comment.

A small hand tugged on Jeri's green dress. Ai and Mako were looking at her. While the twins were fairly comfortable with any of the older tamers, they were closer to Leomon's partner. The older girl glanced at the pair.

"We're supposed to stay close to you and Leomon for a while," Mako informed her solemnly.

"Why?" asked Jeri curiously. Then she glanced around the clearing. "Where's Impmon?"

* * *

As soon as Destiny told them to stay, the purple rookie decided to go. He quickly instructed his partners to remain close to Jeri and Leomon, who he trusted to keep them safe, and edged away from the group. Renamon, everyone actually, was watching the frustrated Rika in case her temper decided to explode. Otherwise, his exit would have been noticed.

Impmon grinned to himself as he moved through the park. It was a whole new reality full of fresh targets to terrorize. Some of the people back home were actually starting to catch on to him, making his pranks harder to accomplish. Honestly, did they expect him to pass up an opportunity like this? He spotted a pair approaching slowly, so the virus type leapt in the closest tree. All he had to do was wait.

Two humans, older than the tamers, were walking down the path. They were talking, completely relaxed and unsuspecting. One would expect from how close they stood together that they were just another couple on a date, but they were too comfortable. Most dating couples he had seen (and eventually scare out of the park) were either really awkward or trying to act extra cool. There two seemed like just close friends, but he could be wrong. He wasn't a perfect expert in human relationships.

The girl was carrying a tennis racket and had red hair that framed her face. Apparently she was fairly active. She was talking to the boy, smiling. That would change quickly.

The boy was more… interesting. First off, his hair! Impmon was positive that it had to be defying several laws of physics to look like that. The brown spikes stretched high above the boy's head, regardless of what gravity should be doing to it. And he didn't know why, but the human reminded him a little of Goggle-head, even though he wasn't wearing any himself.

The two humans drew near his perch, still unaware of the digimon's presence. He wouldn't hurt them. Just scare them and watch them run off screaming. He took careful aim.

* * *

Destiny knew who she was supposed to find and where. She hadn't before, but they had given her the information when she arrived. Along with a few memories from her last encounter with some of the people here. Especially two of them. And one of them was who she was seeking. It was nice to have at least an idea about things again.

They had moved since she had last dealt with them, but she had directions. Courtesy of the power of them. Thus, she kept on track and arrived at the door quickly. While she had received some odd looks for her attire, no one had tried to stop her.

The prophetess knocked on the door. The dark-haired girl waited, going though all her new knowledge that she had yet to examine. After a few moments, the one she was supposed to find opened the door.

Standing in the entrance was a girl with short, brown hair with a pink barrette. A digital camera hung around her neck. Beside her was a smaller, white feline shape. Both stared at the blue-eyed stranger in surprise.

Destiny gave the girl a slight bow, "Greetings, Child of Light."

"Most people don't call me that," she slowly answered. "I'm Kari Kamiya. Who are you?"

"I'm who changed your life over eight years ago. I am the one who sent you and your brother a gift one dark night. I am Destiny."

* * *

Tai Kamiya couldn't believe how much the world had changed. In the six months since MaloMyotismon and his crazed scheme, digimon had become common knowledge to the public. More and more digidestined had appeared. Most had partners of the in-training or rookie level. The more experienced, like those who had fought around Christmas time, could sometimes make it up to champion, but mostly it was still low-level stuff for the new guys. But the kids were as happy as could be to gain a partner. It was just too bad that not all the changes were positive.

It had really begun at the same time as the increase in general knowledge of digimon, but it didn't really pick up strength until three months ago. When Diaboromon returned, Armageddemon attacked the city, and all the chaos that it had brought, anti-digimon sentiment had begun to spread like wildfire. Mostly paranoid adults, for the digital creatures were popular with almost all children, there were those who saw them as too unpredictable and dangerous. They believed that digimon being partnered with kids only attracted more violent ones. Some digidestined had to still hide their partners because of their parents' fears. Izzy had even said there were faint whispers that even the government was frowning on the digimon's presence.

It was summer now and Tai had no intentions of focusing on that kind of stupidity. He had planned to spend it with his friends and fellow digidestined. That is until he found out that they already had plans.

"Honestly, Sora. Everyone is leaving," he complained to one of his best friends. "You're leaving for a tennis tournament, Matt has a major band gig, Joe is at some sort of 'nerd away camp' for one of his super classes, and Mimi is still in New York. And Yolei is on a family trip and Cody is at a fighting competition of some kind. I wish them all luck and everything, but what am I supposed to do?"

The girl smiled at him, "Come on, Tai. In a few days, most of us will be back. Until then, you'll still have Izzy, Ken, Davis, T.K., and Kari. It's not the end of the world."

"You know Izzy will spend the whole time trying to update his files on all the new digidestined," Tai groaned dramatically. "Agumon and me will slowly lose our minds as he talks on and on about whatever new software program he has."

Sora and Tai both knew their respective partners were nearby, trying to give them some privacy. They seemed to think that there was hope for something between the Digidestined of Courage and Love. Whether there was or not, the two friends knew their conversation was still being listened to by an orange dinosaur and a pink bird. But if the digimon wanted to pretend they weren't eavesdropping, the humans could as well.

"Nice practice by the way," added the spiky-hair boy. "Though I still think you make a better soccer player."

The red-head swung her tennis racket threateningly, "Oh, I can still beat you at any sport. When I get back, we'll get a game going with Davis and Ken. That should be fun."

"Deal," he agreed. "But the question is, what do I do until then?"

"Well, you could…"

Before she could finish, a shout interrupted her. Instincts born of many battles in the digital world caused them to jump backwards before whoever it was finished speaking.

"Badda Boom!"

A small fireball struck the sidewalk ahead of them. The two digidestined turned their attention to the source of both the voice and the pyrokinetics. Up in the tree overhanging the path, nearly hidden from view by the foliage, was a purple shape. And now it was chuckling.

"Not the best reactions I've ever produced," their attacker informed them, "but not bad. So, Super-hair, are you going to run screaming with your girlfriend or just stand there staring like an idiot?"

"Pepper Breath!"

"Spiral Twister!"

All the earlier illusions of their solitude were complete destroyed at their digimon leapt into action. Agumon's fireball was far larger than the one that had been hurtled towards the humans and Biyomon had the advantage of flight to get close to their opponents elevated position. The purple being was forced to leap out of the tree to remain unharmed.

As he landed on the ground, Tai could tell he had to be a digimon. The creature was short and vaguely evil-looking. The boy didn't know if it was because of the fanged smiley face on his stomach or the fact that he threw fire at him, but the digimon looked like trouble. A red bandana was tied around his neck and three-fingered gloves of the same shade covered his hands. A barbed tail behind the creature furthered the evil image. Finally, emerald green eyes stared out of his pale face.

"Yeesh, no one has a sense of humor anymore," he muttered. "I was just having some fun."

"You attacked Tai and Sora," asked Agumon, "for fun?"

Biyomon added, "They could have really been hurt."

The purple digimon sighed, "No, they couldn't have been, bird-brain. I know what I'm doing. I have loads of practice with fire, so why don't you and the shorter, orange pineapple-head wannabe buzz off and I'll find someone else to have fun scaring. Someone without overprotective bodyguards."

Tai narrowed his eyes, "You can't go around throwing fireballs at innocent people. Whoever you are, we won't let you hurt someone."

"I'm not going to hurt someone if I don't want to, Hairball. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have already," the strange digimon shouted. "Now back off and I won't have to get rough."

"You attacked first," reminded Sora, her voice accusatory.

"And we won't let you get away with nearly hurting our partners," Agumon explained. "Pepper Breath!"

"Spiral Twister!" added the bird digimon.

The short creature dodged the attacks as best he could, not yet firing his own attack but looking extremely frustrated.

"You know, this isn't really a fair fight. Two digimon versus one?"

"And you against helpless humans is better?" asked Biyomon.

"How many times do I have to tell you: your precious tamers are fine," he snarled. Tai puzzled over the term "tamer," but the purple rookie wasn't finished. "And if you won't play fair, I guess I'll have to try something else."

The small shape began to morph and grow. What now stood on the ground was a cross between a biker punk and a fallen angel. One arm was covered by a large weapon that looked to be extremely dangerous. His black wings unfurled impressively while his three green eyes glittered with mischief.

"He… digivolved," gasped Sora.

"Congratulations, toots," the tall, dark digimon smirked. "You've taken the title of 'stater of the obvious' from Kazu. Never thought anyone would beat that loser at that."

"Tai," whispered the orange digimon urgently. "I… don't think he's a champion."

"No, kind of skipped that. The name's Beelzemon, I'm a mega, and I have better things to do than hang out here with you idiots," the digimon informed them. "And since I could wipe the floor with you, I'd suggest letting me go."

The former leader of the digidestined shook his head, "Can't do that. You don't seem to have a problem with attacking people for no reason. And there are too many people who could get hurt around here. We'll have to do something to prevent that, even if it means knocking you out and stuffing you back into the digital world forcibly."

"Okay, few problems with that plan, Hairball," Beelzemon growled. "One, how many times do I have to say 'I'm not going to hurt anyone' until you get I don't plan to go off attacking kids on swings or something? Two, I'm a mega who can fly away and smack your rookies around like rag-dolls if I wanted to. How are you going to stop me?"

"Agumon Warp digivolve to… WarGreymon!"

**You know, I don't think he's making the best first impression on the digidestined. But did you think that you could leave Impmon in a park and not expect him to try and cause trouble? Hope you liked it. Please let me know. Know that button at the bottom of the screen that says "Review" on it? Press it, please.**


	6. As Seen on TV

**You probably think that Tai and them overreacted slightly to Impmon. And maybe they did a little. But keep in mind, people do not react well to fireballs anyway and since there is already quite a bit of anti-digimon sentiment, none of the digidestined need more trouble. Don't worry though. Things will get better.**

His simple little scare was becoming far more complicated. The two humans had jumped back as planned. They hadn't screamed, but you can't have everything. Then Impmon had found himself dodging attacks himself. Apparently his chosen targets were tamers. And the digimon thought he wanted to barbecue their partners and any other humans in the area. Once, maybe he would have tried. But now, all he wanted was to scare them a occasionally. But he couldn't blame the two rookie for their assumptions.

Now he had digivolved so he could stand a better chance of getting away. He had to be careful not to hurt the rookie digimon. No, he wouldn't risk that. Not again. Beelzemon never wanted to see anyone suffer like Jeri because of him. But he wouldn't let them destroy him or "stuff him back into the digital world forcibly" or whatever the hairball boy thought up. Beelzemon intended to get back to the group as quickly as possible. Any moment, fox-face would be showing up to point out how stupid he had been. At least things couldn't get worse.

"Agumon Warp digivolve to... WarGreymon!"

"Of course," the dark mega muttered. "Why shouldn't the minature pineapple-head digivolve? I never get a break after all."

"Mega Claw!" the armoured digimon announced, slashing at the virus type.

Growling to himself angrily, Beelzemon leapt backwards and upward to avoid the strike. Then from his aerial position, he performed a roundhouse kick at WarGreymon's face. The spikes on his boots would hurt the overgrown lizard but not seriously. Actually, from his expression, all he had really managed to do was tick the armoured digimon off even more.

"Bi, we got to help them," the red-head told the pink parakeet. "Think you can get up to Garudamon?"

"I can try, Sora," the bird digimon answered, taking flight.

The dark mega really didn't feel like fighting two high level digimon, especially since he didn't want to accidentally kill them and they might not have the same resignations as him about deleting their opponent. As the rookie flew near, Beelzemon made a decision.

"Biyomon digivo..."

The pink digimon was interrupted as a strong hand smacked her out of the air. She tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. The girl, Sora, ran over to the digimon in concern but the bird was already struggling to her feet. The mega hadn't hit her hard, just enough to keep her out of the fight.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon shouted, throwing his attack directly into Beelzemon's chest.

"Argh!" he cried, crashing to the ground himself. After a moment, he looked upwards at the overgrown lizard, "Okay, now I'm mad."

The dark mega, glaring at the creature above him, climbed to his feet. At first, he started to raise his right, weaponized arm towards him. Then, shaking his head, he spread his wings and shot through the air at the armoured digimon.

"Try this," the virus snarled, punching the reptilian mega. "And this," he growled, wacking his opponent with his huge gun rather than firing.

The super-hair boy shouted, "You'll have to do better than that to beat us, Beelzemon."

"Mega Claw!" cried WarGreymon, bringing his strike down towards his opponent's head.

The dark-winged mega brought his weapon-covered arm up to block the claws and kicked out, forcing the reptile backwards. The emerald-eyed being turned his gaze back at the human.

"You can't really be that thick! I am not trying to beat your stupid dino-freak digimon," he snapped. "Do I look like an evil psycho?" Then, considering his current form, added, "Don't answer that."

Then he heard a voice he had been expecting for quite a while. And he was actually kind of happy to hear it finally.

"And what are you doing, Beelzemon?"

* * *

Tai gripped his digivice tightly in his hand. Where ever Beelzemon was from, he had obviously learned how to dodge an attack well. In fact, he had barely used any real attacks at all. But he did knock Biyomon out of the air with his bare hand.

Somehow, the bird digimon was not seriously hurt. A blow from a mega should have done more damage. Unless the dark digimon had held back intentionally. But if he was, was it because he actually didn't want to hurt them or because he was just toying with them? After all, there was a giant gun attached to his arm and yet he hadn't fired once.

When Beelzemon asked the digidestined if he looked like "an evil psycho," the boy wanted to answer that yes, he did and yet wasn't quite acting like one. But before he could, another voice spoke up.

"And what are you doing, Beelzemon?"

The mega, with a a mischievous grin on his face, snapped, "Having a tea party, fox-face. What does it look like? Mr. Super-hair and his partner, a short dino-boy dork only orange, have decided to try and smash me. One tiny misunderstanding and look what I'm left dealing with."

While he should have known the battle would gain attention, he still hadn't been prepared for his opponent to have reinforcement. Tai studied the new arrival, or rather arrivals, in case they decided to join their apparent ally. The group was rather varied in appearance and included humans and digimon.

The speaker from earlier, the one referred to as "fox-face," was indeed a bipedal fox with yellow fur, long lavender gloves, and icy blue eyes. She was tall, taller than most rookies the boy was familiar with, and her tail flicked behind her smoothly. A girl, closer to the younger generation of digidestined like his sister Kari in age, stood by the digimon. With her red hair pulled back in a ponytail and her jeans and heart t-shirt, she seemed like the anti-Mimi.

Near them was a familiar tall figure of Leomon. But he wasn't the same one that Tai and the rest had met before. How he knew this, he couldn't say. Maybe it was the two very young children balanced on his shoulders. Or maybe it was the way he stood near another girl with short brown hair and a green dress, his body language clearly saying she was off-limits to any threats. While the Leomon he knew was protective and a noble warrior, this one still felt like a different one than before. If this one was a partner to one of these children, then that was surprising. Most partners were not at the champion level normally. So either he had digivolved in case of an upcoming battle, or he was just an unusual partner.

A boy with darker hair and an orange shirt had another semi-familiar shape on his shoulder. While the Digidestined of Courage had never had the opportunity to meet Willis personally, he had heard all about his twin digimon. The small white and green rabbit-like being was clearly Terriermon.

The final two members were rather oddly... distracting. Brown hair and a blue hoodie were fairly ordinary, but the boy was wearing a pair of yellow goggles. His expression was one of pure shock. Beside him was a fairly tall, red, reptilian digimon with odd black markings along his body. Yellow eyes blinked calmly as the digimon watched Tai and the others. A dinosaur and a boy with goggles. That was creepily similar to his life.

"Let me guess," the fox continued. "You decide to try and cause a little panic and their partners got upset." She glanced at both Biyomon and WarGreymon. "And since you were out-numbered, you decide to out-gun them."

"Toots, I can't help it they don't have a sense of humor and I didn't know they were tamers at the time," he explained, using the confusing term again. "And they freaked out over one little fireball. Are those kids hurt? No. Are they on fire? No. Is his jumbo hair still huge? Yep. So what's the big deal?"

One of the small children on the leonine digimon, the girl, suggested, "Beelzemon, please come down and stop fighting the dino. He doesn't look like a meanie."

"Munchkin, he started it," the evil-looking digimon answered, sounding surprisingly patient with the child. "And I was just returning the fight to the loser."

"But you threw a fireball at Tai and Sora," reminded WarGreymon.

"And you and Polly the parrot tried to cream me. What's your point?"

"Beelzemon, please come over here," asked the girl in green. Her voice was soft but firm. The mega stiffened slightly as she spoke. "You don't want anyone to get hurt. Them or you. And you said it was just a misunderstanding."

He landed on the ground, muttering, "I was not trying to hurt them, Jeri. You know that. They just don't seem to be smart enough to listen very well."

"Well, you guys have a lot in common then," chuckled Terriermon.

The mega grinned evilly, "Braniac, if your bunny doesn't want to be tied to the top of a flagpole by his ears, I suggest you shut him up."

"You really need to momentai," the rabbit digimon muttered.

Tai and Sora exchanged glances. While Beelzemon still looked dangerous, this new group of digidestined seemed unconcerned with his appearance and attitude. And they didn't seem like the evil villain type. They watched as the dark mega stepped towards the smaller children. Instead of cringing at his approach, their faces brightened and leaned towards him from their perch on Leomon.

"WarGreymon," the boy sighed, "I don't think he's as bad as we thought."

* * *

Takato just stared in pure amazement. After they realized that Impmon had vanished, the group decided it would be better to find the trouble-maker quickly rather than remain where Destiny asked them to. Rika actually seemed excited to have some action rather than wait around. While everyone had expected to follow Renamon as she used her strange connection to the rookie to find him, what they ended up doing was follow the sounds of battle. They found Beelzemon facing another mega. Specifically, it was a mega that Takato was familiar with.

"No way, no way, no way," he muttered softly. "It can't be."

Beelzemon eventually landed on the ground, after complaining that he didn't start it. As the dark mega threatened the loud-mouth rabbit, Takato tried to study the strangers more closely.

In addition to WarGreymon, the creature who Beelzemon had been fighting upon arrival, another familiar digimon stood by the two humans. The pink bird with blue markings on her feathers was clearly Biyomon. While Takato had never encountered either of these beings before, he knew all about them.

Then, he saw the humans. His inner fan-boy completely freaked out. The girl with her red hair and the spiky-hair boy were too perfect. As WarGreymon dedigivolved, the orange rookie fit with them just as Takato had always imagined they would in real life.

"Takatomon, are you okay?" asked his partner. "You've been staring for a long time."

"Oh my..." whispered Henry as he caught sight of the pair. While he wasn't as much a fan of the television show as Takato, Kazu, and Kenta, he could recognize the iconic characters of it. "It can't be..."

"Hey, what's with all the weird staring?" snapped Beelzemon, seeing the tamers attention on the two humans. "Even the Ice Queen looks creepy. Munchkins, did anything odd happen while I was gone?"

As the twins shook their heads, the strangers approached the group. The dark mega took his young partners from Leomon and set them on the ground before changing back to Impmon. He glanced over to Takato.

"Goggle-head, you've got five seconds to explain what's got you all spooked or I'll Badda Boom you to that weird dark dimension and back," the rookie threatened.

"I... think we've just crossed over to pure impossibility," muttered Henry.

The spiky-haired boy, looking a little uncomfortably with the stares he was receiving, tried to break the awkwardness. "Um... Hi. Sorry about... Yeah. Your friend kind of..."

"Tried to set fire to Tai and Sora," muttered Biyomon.

Impmon shouted in frustration, "I did not! That fireball didn't even singe them. I just wanted to scare them a little. You guys just overreacted."

"And why would you want to scare them?" the pink bird asked.

"Because it would be hilarious."

"Why did I expect any of you to stay put? Why did I think you might be able to stay out of trouble for a few minutes?" someone suddenly asked, sounding amused.

The entire group of humans and digimon turned. Destiny, still wearing her dark cloak but her hood pulled back, walked towards them. She was grinning and shaking her head. Beside her was another girl and a digimon. Both were just as oddly familiar-looking as the other strangers.

"Tai, what did you guys get tangled up in this time?" the short-haired girl asked.

"Kari, honest, I..." he began.

Destiny quickly interrupted, "It seems it is time to properly introduce tamers and Digidestined. Before you decide to kill each other over misunderstandings. I believe the first thing is to inform you, Digidestined, that the children and digimon before you are from another reality. And second, the harder thing to accept, is that in their reality, your world is a television show. So yes, Takato," she looked at the boy, "they are the same people you think they are. You are meeting the Digidestined of Courage, Love, and Light."

"This is so cool," the goggle-sporting boy smiled. "I've always wanted to meet them."

"Now what did you say?" asked Tai, Sora, Biyomon, and Impmon at the same time.

The dark-haired girl sighed and exchanged a look with Kari, "I think that it would be better to gather all involved and explain it all at once. I've already had to with Kari and Gatomon, and I don't want to go over it more times than I have to. Might we move to a more private setting and summon the rest of the Digidestined?"

Kari nodded, "Not everyone is in town, but we can call those who are. And our mom won't be home for a while, so we can go to our house. Right, Tai?'

"Uh... Sure?"

Agumon shook his head at his partner's response. Hopefully, things would start making sense soon. But something told him life was about to get interesting.

**I know. Destiny just blurted it out. But sometimes just saying something rather than beating around the bush is more effective. And Agumon is right about things getting interesting for them soon. Of course, Destiny will have to explain some. And she still doesn't know everything yet. The next chapter will check in with Kazu, Kenta, Yamaki, Suzie, and their digimon. Thanks.**


	7. Vanished

**Welcome back to the other half of the tamers. Life in that reality is just as interesting. Time for our adult tamer to enjoy the "fun" of the digital world. Hope you like it and please leave a review. I need more feedback, please.**

Yamaki mentally tried to prepare himself for whatever might be awaiting him through the colorful portal. He was not expecting an empty wasteland vacant of all signs of life. The children and digimon did not act surprised, but they had been here before after all. As he turned his face skyward, he did not see any familiar celestial shapes. Instead, a strange round shape hung overhead.

"What is that?" the adult tamer asked no one in particular.

The hooded figure explained, "That is where you just came from, tamer. That is the human world as viewed from the digital world."

"You'll get used to that weirdness quickly," reassured Kazu. "Wait until we get to the more interesting levels around here where normal laws don't work. Or the data streams. The sky is just the tip of the iceberg."

"Where's Wyo? Which way is he?" Suzie questioned.

Destiny informed them, "He and his partner were left as a digi-egg in the possession of a Floramon. Her village is on the forest level, on the banks of Seadramon's lake. Begin your search there."

"Wait, how…?" Kenta tried to ask, but the cloaked figure stepped through another portal and vanished out of sight. "Not fair."

"Alright, she's no help," muttered Kazu. "Do we have a plan B, oh fearless leader?"

The bespectacled child closed his eyes for a moment before asking, "Guardromon, I know you have several different sensors and there are connections between levels other than data streams. Can you detect them?"

"There is access to another level within range, if barely," the robotic digimon confirmed, "but I cannot determine if it leads to the desired destination."

All the talk about levels, data streams, and connections was slightly confusing for the government agent. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember enough about them to follow the conversation yet. The dark-haired boy nodded to himself.

"Well, since we don't have any better options, does anyone have a problem with trying to find that connection?" Silence met Kenta's words. "Okay, lead the way."

"Since you are in command, should we not follow you?" asked a confused Guardromon.

The boy sighed, "But I can't sense our target. You can."

"Just use your cool jetpack-like flying skills to show us the way and we'll get going," Kazu instructed his partner.

"Oh," murmured Calumon softly. "What pretty lights! All sparkly and nice. And it's coming closer. Yay, pretty lights."

"No! Not already," shouted Kenta, spotting the approaching data stream. "Run!"

"What?" Yamaki asked, confused by the boy's sudden change of mood.

"Another one!" called Kazu, pointing at a second data stream. "Don't get hit by it or you'll end up who knows where."

Guardromon grabbed his partner and fired up his engines at full speed. Yamaki picked up Suzie and Lopmon, Calumon grasping the blond man's head. Kenta broke into a sprint, holding tightly to MarineAngemon. As a group, they fled from the beams, but they ended up being trapped between the two.

"Pii pii!" shouted the pink mega as he and his partner were swallowed up by one.

"Kenta!" called the hat-wearing boy as his friend vanished.

The other beam swept over the grown man, Suzie, and their partners, transporting them across the digital world. The twin data streams diverged and left Kazu and his metallic digimon alone.

"I really hate those things," the tamer commented dryly.

* * *

It really wasn't fair. He did what his master wanted, received tons of power, and was nearly invincible. _Nearly_ was the key word. He was killed by one of those stupid kids. The one who did that really dorky speech before going mega.

So, the digimon found himself turned into a digi-egg and was forced to regain his previous level the hard way. No super-boost from his master this time. It was trapped and powerless now. Who needed it? He'd be his own boss now. After all, he had his memories of his previous life and that was a start.

Concentrating, he could feel himself digivolving. Finally. He had to kill off loads of baby and in-training digimon to succeed. Being an in-training, and a baby before that, was annoying. The digimon felt himself become a rookie. This form was more useful at least.

DemiDevimon took flight, plans for his future racing through his mind. Power and revenge were his main concerns. And the small virus intended to have both.

* * *

"Come on, Monodramon. Don't be such a worry-wart."

The purple reptilian digimon looked at his companion. Both had been together as long as they could remember, which wasn't very long. In a sense, they could be considered twins. They had emerged from a single digi-egg after all, but their appearance was vastly different. While Monodramon had changed drastically from baby to training to his current rookie form, his friend retained the same overall shape and only increased in size. But Floramon had just stated they were different. And both accepted this.

Floramon had been there forever too. She kept watch over them, making sure the two were safe and happy. She was a caring digimon. When the pair grew (and after Monodramon digivolved enough to have limbs), she stood on the bank as Seadramon taught them to swim. She trusted the champion to watch them, but she still needed to keep them in view anyway. That was just the kind of digimon she was.

But the two close friends had spent their whole short lives in the village. Floramon had not even allowed them to go out with a gathering party to forage. She worried about them too much.

"I don't think we should be doing this," answered Monodramon. "We aren't supposed to go, you know. Besides, Floramon said that dangerous digimon exist outside the village and you can't even…"

"Don't worry about it. We can handle it. I mean, you're a rookie now and I'm… tall," his friend reassured.

"What level are you, anyway?" questioned the purple rookie. "Your name never changes and you just grow."

"Well, I've changed sizes at the same times you've digivolved. So, I'm probably a rookie too."

"I still say this is a bad idea."

Ryo Akiyama, tamer and human boy, grinned at his partner, "We're just going to explore a little. What's the worst that could happen?"

"A lot," the digimon muttered. "A lot could happen."

* * *

"They're gone… again?" whispered Mayumi Wong. "I… just stood there as Suzie, my baby girl, vanished."

The rest of the stunned parents left in the wake of Destiny's arrival and the departure of the tamers and digimon felt just as lost and confused. A simple birthday party had been transformed as chaos escaped left and right. First the explosion and now this. Her youngest two children were caught up in so much, as were the children of the other parents present.

"What did she say about the others not returning for some time?" Rumiko Nonaka asked, for once not at a photo shoot and having decided to attend the day's festivities. She had hoped that it would be a prime opportunity to have some mother-daughter bonding and to get to know the various tamers and their families better. She had even resisted the urge to suggest Rika could wear a dress. But fate seemed to have intervened. "Did something happen to Rika?"

"I… I don't know," admitted Janyu. "But I think we should find out."

Mie Matsuki suggested, "Contact that Riley woman and have her make some phone calls or check their equipment. That Hypnos place has so many connections, they should be able to find something out. And if they don't know, I'll find out myself."

As Mr. Wong began dialing, he heard Takato's mother, the woman who bakery she ran with her husband and sold the now famous Guilmon Bread, give a feral growl under her breath that sounded so threatening. It reminded the man of all the nature films of the ferocity of mother bears concerning their young.

"Takato, you'd better not be gone without a word again. Regardless of what that Destiny person said to you."

* * *

Riley grinned to herself as she watched the various screens covered in readouts that described everything from the strength of the digital barriers to the status of the equipment in the Hypnos building. But it was nothing on the computers that had created her good humor. Yamaki had taken the afternoon off to attend, of all things, a child's birthday party. It had been Calumon who had informed the head of Hypnos that "he was a tamer and that means saving the world, having adventures, and playing with all the other digimon and tamers; the party means lots of games and candy and cake and fun and everybody else is going, so please, please, please, please say 'yes' and we'll get to have lots of fun and you have to go." It was just fun to watch the tiny creampuff convince his partner to do something against the man's nature while apparently not taking a breath.

The technician still loved how the opposing personalities somehow worked. Yamaki seemed to be so much more… not relaxed really, but a little more accepting that he couldn't control everything. He still tried to maintain some, but he seemed to understand that there were some things beyond his ability to affect (like Calumon's hyperness). Even if the white being spent a great deal of his time with the girl, Jeri, he did still make sure all the members of Hypnos were "really happy" and especially Yamaki. It was especially sweet, in Riley's opinion, when Calumon promised to guard against "the grumpy lady with red hair and an angry face."

The phone ringing caught the woman's attention. That particular line had a limited number of people with knowledge of how to reach it. Specifically, it was limited to the tamers and Monster Makers. Thus any time that phone rung, it had to be important.

"This is Riley," she greeted.

"Hey, this is Mr. Wong and I have a favor to ask. You can track the tamers, right? Can you check on their location, no question asked? Specifically my son, Henry, and any of them near his signal."

Wondering on the strangeness of the request, her fingers flew across the keyboard and pulled up the appropriate information. "I don't think that this system was created to hunt down kids who missed their curfew, so I'm guessing you have a good reason. Let's see… Hmm… This doesn't make any sense. Where…?"

"What is it?" asked the concerned parent over the speaker. "Where are they?"

"Gone. All the tamers: Henry, Rika, Takato, Kazu, Kenta, and even Yamaki, Suzie, Jeri, and the twins, all of them are gone."

There was a resigned sigh before the man explained, "I was… afraid of that. Some of them just… vanished right in front of us. The rest of them were investigating a disturbance, an explosion, earlier. Can you find out what you can about what happened? We'll be there as soon as we can."

"I'll do what I can," she agreed. Hopefully when the expected assortment of Monster Makers and concerned parents arrived, she would have some answers for them and they could answer a few of her own.

"Tally," she called to where her co-worker watched curiously. "I think trouble is coming and we're on our own. The tamers, including Yamaki, are missing in action."

* * *

"What happened?"Yamaki asked, still holding the child and rabbit digimon in his arms. He had stumbled, disoriented by the journey by the bright beam of light. The sandy landscape had been replaced with tall trees and greenery. "Where are we?"

Lopmon sighed softly, "We were caught by a data stream and it transported us to another level of the digital world. As the other tamers have explained to you in the past, there are several different layers to this world and the environment differs on the various layers." She glanced around the area. "This is part of the forest level."

Yamaki could now remember some of the reports on the digital world the children, their partners, and Shibumi had given. But the descriptions of the strangeness of this world had not truly prepared the man for the reality he found.

"It looks like a really big park," noted Calumon, leaping off the blond man's head and flying around them.

"Possibly with dangerous digimon hiding," murmured the brown and pink rabbit.

"Don't wowwy, Lopmon," Suzie reassured. "Just like Tewwiermon says: momentai. We'll be alwight and we'll find Wyo and the west of ouw fwiends."

"Yay!" cheered Calumon.

The adult tamer felt a headache coming on and reached for his lighter. He was trapped in a hostile environment with only one combative digimon for protection and in the company of two innocent and optimistic beings. The familiar click of his lighter as he flicked the lid did little to sooth his stress.

"Well, this is going splendidly so far," he muttered.

* * *

Mrs. Olkowski, picking up toys scattered across the room and generally cleaning up the mess left by having a pair of four year olds and a trouble-making being from another world in the household, paused as a sense of unease filled her. Her hand hovered over a toy bear as she tried to name the feeling. It wasn't a sense of danger or a threat. It just felt… distant. Like something important was missing.

The housewife shook her head. If she was going to turn psychic and gaining a sixth sense or something, you would she would have felt something was off months ago when the whole digimon thing started. Or even a month and a half ago, when her children vanished in the night to enter the digital world. Even when her family was in another world, there hadn't been this sense of distance.

The tamers' mother would admit to anyone she was not necessarily the most perceptive dealing with digimon. She hadn't even recognized her children's partner after he digivolved. Of course, he didn't really resemble the small, purple rookie when he was in his mega form. She grinned slightly at the memory of her first encounter with Beelzemon.

**Ai and Mako were out in the yard, playing. Their puppy, who they had named Scruffy, was currently being taught how to fetch, with mixed results.**

"**Come on, get the ball," coaxed the young girl as the canine panted.**

"**Be a good boy," her brother urged the dog that was nearly out of his puppy stage by now really.**

**Their mother, washing the dishes from breakfast as she watched out the window, heard an odd flapping sound. Instincts born from the knowledge that dangerous creatures could appear at anytime warned her that it wasn't a bird. She took hold of the frying pan she had been cleaning and approached the door to the backyard.**

"**That mutt's too stupid anyway," a deep voice muttered, causing the woman to freeze. Through the sliding door, she could see a tall, dark figure land with its back to her. "Don't know why you kee…"**

"**I don't know who you are, but you have five seconds to step away from my children," the concerned mother interrupted, swinging her chosen weapon at the winged digimon.**

"**Yikes, watch it," he shouted, dodging the blow. "You're going to hurt someone. Probably me. A little help here with the crazy lady, please."**

**She swung again at the dark creature. The strange digimon took flight to avoid the cast-iron frying pan.**

"**Take it easy, toots," called the digimon. "What's got you all worked up? I swear, those towels were burned when I found them."**

**The use of the nickname "toots" along with familiar emerald eyes caught the woman's attention. She now noticed the twins shouting for her to stop.**

"**Impmon?" she asked cautiously. "Is that you?"**

"**Yep, only I go by Beelzemon when I look like this," he answered with a grin, landing once more. "Sorry. I thought the munchkins told you."**

**She swung at him once more. "What did you do to the towels?" screamed the infuriated mother as the frying pan connected.**

The digimon had apparently burned one of her more expensive towels to a blackened crisp, ruining the set. She had not been pleased and there had been punishment.

But he did add something to the household and the woman wouldn't trade the rookie for a more behaved one. For all the mayhem Impmon brought, he also served as a calming element for the twins. While it seemed impossible for children their age to control themselves, Ai and Mako did so because they loved the purple rookie. And, while he would rarely admit it in earshot of anyone, he obviously did so in return.

He may be a lot of things, but he was a nice guy deep down. Mrs. Olkowski knew this and understood he would guard her children with his life. And, after talking with some of the older children and convincing them to tell the truth, she knew that level of protection was not just a figure of speech. Still, as a parent she would always worry. About all three of them.

And the sense of distance worried her and she didn't know why. But her family felt… scattered. She sighed and picked up the toy finally.

"Stay safe," she whispered, hoping she was only being paranoid.

**Okay, on the Ryo thing, I'll go into better detail later. But here is how it is more or less set up. When he and his partner emerged from the digi-egg, he looked and acted like a three year. When his partner digivolved to an in-training level, the boy aged to about seven years old. Finally, when the digimon reached the rookie level, Ryo then regained his former age of fourteen. He will not continue to change age as his digimon digivolves and dedigivolves. That was just until he regained his original form. After all, it would be kind of odd for a teen boy to emerge from a tiny digi-egg.**

**People out in cyber space!!! I ask for your input. Questions, comments, requests, and general statements are all accepted. (Complaining just for the sake of complaining will not be.)**

**Thanks and hope to keep having your support.**


	8. Getting to Know You

**Okay, I received my first real insults the other day. I could tell they had not even read the story. All they said was along the lines of "stop writing this stupid idea" and "you stink and your work stinks too." They also posted it under the first chapter, indicating they did not even put the effort into even pretending they read it. If someone wanted to insult my work, they should at least make the effort to sound like they actually read it. Instead of being upset, I found it pathetic and deleted it. **

**On to less stupid things. First, in case no one already knew, I do not own digimon season 1, 2, 3, or anything to do with digimon or the characters. The only things that are of my own creation that have been shown in this work so far are the characters of Destiny and Fate. That will change later. I have many things planned, including a few new tricks for the tamers.**

**Next, I need reviews!!! Ma Jr. has been very reliable on this and Linkmaste has been fairly good at this too. However, I know more people read this. So leave one and be nice.**

How do you move seven digimon across town subtly? Some were going to be impossible to hide. And most of the group, human and digimon, had no idea of their final destination. The final solution was surprisingly simple and Tai was a little stunned because of that.

While Agumon, Leomon, and the red reptilian digimon remained with the children in the open, because of their sizes, Gatomon and Biyomon led the yellow fox and the lower form of Beelzemon across the rooftops. When the Digidestined of Courage asked what Terriermon would do, the dark-haired boy answered that the rabbit could do a "great impression of stuffed animal." It wasn't a perfect solution, since the tall shape of Leomon still drew attention, it was better than having them all together.

"Takatomon, are we going to eat soon?" whined the red rookie to the goggle-wearing youth.

The boy chuckled, "Guilmon, is that all you ever think about? What about all the really cool stuff that's going on?"

"But we left before I got any cake and now my stomach wants it."

"Your stomach always wants something. It really is a bottomless pit."

Tai finally asked, "Why does he call you 'Takatomon'?"

The boy rubbed the back of his head, "He doesn't do it all the time anymore, but it's kind of a long story. He just had trouble telling the difference between humans and digimon when we first met and the name kind of stuck around. I'm just Takato."

The older kid grinned, "Really, he thought you was a digimon?"

"He's not exactly Einstein," muttered Terriermon.

"Terriermon," groaned the digimon's partner. "You really need to learn 'tact' sometime and you're supposed to be a toy right now."

"Momentai, Henry," he answered cheerfully. "It's not like nobody knows about digimon around here."

Sora pointed out, "But they aren't so common that they are ignored. Large groups gain notice. And three in one place is already pushing it."

"So keep quiet or we'll gag you," growled the other red-head, the one with the heart t-shirt.

After a few seconds of silence, Tai felt his curiosity was too strong to wait. This new group, the dark-haired girl's cryptic words of another reality and television shows, and all the strangeness was just too much. The boy opened his mouth and the first question emerged.

"What in the world does 'momentai' mean?"

* * *

"Prodigious!"

Kari yanked the phone away from her ear. Davis, Ken, and T.K. hadn't been nearly as loud. Even Davis, leader of the younger generation of Digidestined, had been somewhat calmer. While the news of new digidestined was interesting enough, when she mentioned the strange cloaked figure who spoke of other realities, the boys had reacted in a variety of ways. Ken had been quietly thoughtful. T.K. had been curious, but accepting of her report. Davis had been confused and curious. But only Izzy had been this explosively excited.

"Are you telling me you have encountered beings from another reality? From alternate human and digital worlds than ours? Are they still there?" the boy babbled. She could hear Tentomon in the background, trying to question him about what had him so excited. "Can I meet them?"

She laughed, "We're headed to my and Tai's house right now. I've contacted everyone else I could and told them to meet us there. It would be great if you could be there."

"I'd love to. Of course, I'll have to be careful. When dealing with alternate realities or time lines, you run the risk of unintentionally affecting or influencing the other, possibly…"

"Good-bye, Izzy. See you there," the girl interrupted.

She hung up on the computer expert. She shook her head at the older boy's enthusiasm. This was the sort of thing that would make this logic-based digidestined happy. While he might struggle for a time with the apparent disregard that Destiny and her friends would represent to the normal laws of the universe, Izzy would be quick to adapt and try to understand the new laws, just as he had tried to understand the logic of the digital world.

Kari looked at the cloaked figure that had appeared on her doorstep earlier that day. The dark-haired girl had explained some of her mission and that those with her came from an alternate reality. Gatomon had reacted with suspicion until Destiny started talking about things very few people should know about. When the blue-eyed girl knew that over eight years ago, the Kamiya family computer had given Kari and her brother a digi-egg, that was a shock. One that eventually digivolved into a huge Greymon and fought Parrotmon. That battle changed the lives of several children who witnessed the event. They gained partners, crests, and had become the Digidestined all because they saw those two digimon that night. But very few knew about where the digi-egg had first appeared.

But she had known. The stranger had known too well.

"**How do you know about that?" asked Kari, thinking back to that night.**

"**You noticed first, before Tai, who was on his way to the bathroom," the dark-haired girl described, ignoring the question. "Even at the young age you were at the time, you could tell something strange was happening. Your first digi-egg, your first digimon, and your first battle all came from the events of that night. You could say the battle at Highton View Terrace was the turning point of your life, or possibly meeting Gatomon." She smiled at the feline digimon. The cat stared curiously back. Destiny continued, "But you know that everything that has happened to you and your friends began when your computer produced a digi-egg. That was the source of all that brought you and your friends to the point of becoming the Digidestined."**

"**How do you know about that," the girl repeated, her eyes huge.**

**The cloaked figure smiled calmly, "Who do you think sent it?"**

As odd as it seemed, the strange girl did give every impression of knowing far more than she should. She wore an aura of self-assurance and deep understanding, similar to how Gennai felt. And Kari sensed that Destiny was speaking the truth. So she agreed to help.

The girl claimed she needed to gather not only the Digidestined but the "tamers" she had left in the park. She said that after she was in contact with "all those required," she should hopefully "gain the necessary information to continue with the current prophecy." As Gatomon had pointed out, there was quite a bit of guesswork involved, but most of the plans the Digidestined used were of an equally unreliable quality.

As much as it seemed like she should share Gatomon's suspicions of the newcomers and the mysteriousness that Destiny exhibited, there was no real evilness to them. But as the Digidestined of Light, Kari had always been sensitive to the presence of darkness. And there was no strong feeling of darkness around them.

* * *

"He wouldn't have hurt anyone, you know," the brown-haired girl mentioned suddenly to Sora, drawing the red-head from where Tai was being instructed in the ways of "momentai."

"Who?" asked the Digidestined of Love before realizing who she meant.

"Impmon. The digimon who tried to scare you earlier. He can come across as heartless and temperamental, but he's actually a nice person. He just has poor people skills and likes to cause trouble," she explained. "I'm Jeri, by the way."

"And I'm Sora. Sora Takenouchi," smiled the older girl. "You say he's not that bad?"

Jeri nodded, "He's made mistakes, bad ones he still regrets, but he's changed since then. It's hard to tell if you didn't know him before, but he's actually matured some."

"If this is 'mature,' then he must have been a real monster in the past," Sora joked.

The girl walking beside the red-haired digidestined gained a distant expression for a moment, glancing at Leomon. A second later, Jeri quietly made a suggestion.

"Please don't call him that. He doesn't need to be reminded of his mistakes and that would."

The older girl wondered a little on the girl strange reaction to the joke, but understood that pasts can haunt people for a long time. Look at Ken. While he was a loyal and valued member of the younger generation of Digidestined, his actions as the Digimon Emperor still bothered him. Sora sought a safer topic.

"So, who's partnered with whom? There are more humans than digimon, I've noticed."

This earned a slight grin. "Leomon's my partner. That was a rather interesting day, when we first met. I must have looked insane, chasing him around like that."

Jeri pointed at the red dinosaur-like creature walking close to the goggle-sporting youth. "Guilmon and Takato are the best friends you'll ever meet. And Guilmon's stomach is only matched by the size of his sweet heart." She then jerked her head towards the dark-haired boy and his rabbit digimon. "Henry is as calm and thoughtful as Terriermon is loud-mouth and blunt. But they work well together as a team. And Henry may have once been against fighting at all, he has actually come to terms with it now."

Sora nodded, listening to the girl's description. From what she had observed so far, they matched up with Jeri's words perfectly.

"Jeri, are we there yet?" asked the youngest boy quietly. "I'm bored."

"Not yet, Mako," she called back to where the smallest children rode on the large leonine digimon's shoulders. "Why don't you talk to your sister."

He sighed tiredly," Okay."

"What about those two?" Sora prompted. "They seem kind of young for this. They're even younger than T.K. and Kari were when they first entered the digital world."

"Those two are rather interesting," smiled Jeri. "We don't know why, but they share a partner. Impmon."

"Him?" asked the red-haired digidestined. "He's the last digimon I'd expect to be partnered with kids that young. Well, maybe not the last."

"Like I said, he not a bad digimon. He acts like a tough guy and you'll never hear him say it if he can help it, but he really cares about them."

"It's just… how he reacted to you, I almost thought he was your partner," explained Sora, remembering how Beelzemon reacted to the girl's words earlier.

Jeri's face gained a distant look once more, "We… just have some history. Because of that, he tries to keep an out eye for me. He'll deny it, but I've seen him. He just wants to protect me. So I let him. Like I said, Impmon actually has a good heart, even if he tries to hide it."

"And the yellow fox?" asked the older girl, pushing the questions about their "history" to the back of her mind.

"That would be Renamon. She and Rika," Jeri explained, pointing to the girl in the t-shirt and jeans, "used to be the opposite of Henry when it came to fighting. Granted, I didn't know her at all then and only Henry by sight, but used to be she only cared about being the best and Rika saw Renamon as the way to get there. They are closer friends now and Rika is actually opening up. She's a more caring individual, but still has trouble trusting strangers."

"And the last girl. The one with the cloak. What's her deal?" prompted the Digidestined of Love, noticing how the odd attire was attracting attention just as the digimon were.

Jeri shrugged, "She is Destiny. She's… a mystery. She could explain, but basically she's someone who works to make prophecies happen the right way. She's shown up before, but… there's a lot about her we don't know for sure."

"Does she have a partner?"

"… He's gone right now. But she hopes to find him again someday."

* * *

The building was fairly new and was built to specific specifications. Officially, it and the agency it housed were supposed to monitor the flow of digital information and detect threatening anomalies. And it did. For most of the floors, hacking, viruses, identity fraud, and all manner of dangers of the internet were investigated and taken care of. The seventeenth floor was unique. That branch hadn't really been in existence for long. It took a different approach on the agency's mission. A more direct and real-world application.

Digimon were becoming a stronger presence and the government had responded by creating Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing. DADP was intended to handle the situation. After the events around Christmas, and then those around three months ago, the damage the digimon could cause was firmly in everyone's mind. They needed a way to know where potentially dangerous ones were located and, if needed, to be able to remove the threat. So for the last six months, the DADP technicians had been hired and set to work.

Miss Mizutani had risen quickly to her position, regardless of her age. After some problems in her youth, she started to excel at her classes to the point where it was unbelievable. Anything dealing logic-based thinking, especially computer programming, she could handle with expert skills. But she had few friends and little patience for foolishness. However, DADP wanted her for her skills with technology rather than her social skills or her age.

Her assistance in unlocking the basics of digimon: attributes, levels, types, and how these variables affected their threat levels, and discovering the underlying programming that allowed the digital monsters to maintain a physical form had allowed her to advance swiftly through the ranks. She was not the head of this branch of DADP, but she was high up. This fast advancement earned her enemies among the other agents, but the woman didn't care.

The blond woman wore her hair in a tight bun, making her look older than she was. In her early twenties, she wore her plain black suit like she was born to be involved in the government, but the dark shade made her skin pale in comparison. Her stormy grey eyes studied the computer screen intently, examining her work for mistakes.

She didn't care what those other mindless hackers thought of her. She was here for one purpose only. To stop those digital monsters. Mizutani knew, on a deep level that she no longer even had to think on, that these creatures would cause nothing but pain for all these naïve children who were drawn to them. Even those people who claimed that most digimon were harmless and generally good were just fooling themselves. Digimon would just cause suffering. The only difference between the different digimon was whether the harm was deliberate or just coincidence.

The woman pulled opened her desk draw. Two objects of semi-importance rested inside innocently. She picked up one and ignored the presence of the other object half-buried under random papers. A tiny bottle of pills held between her fingers. She was supposed to take them daily and had been since she was fourteen. But she hadn't been as faithful lately. She kept skipping doses. Mizutani hated how fuzzy it made her. It kept her calm and kept away the "problems" she had in her youth though. The psychiatrist had prescribed it after… Well, it kept her calm. Numb.

She placed the bottle back in the drawer and shut it.

**And that is a new character I created. So, I hope you like Miss Mizutani. You'll learn more about her soon enough, including what she is working on. And yes, that's her last name. You won't hear her first name often. Sort of like Yamaki.**

**Okay, do you like what's happening? Do you have any (real) problems with my story? I will accept criticism if it is actually useful. No stupidity, please. Let me know what you think. And action will be picking up soon. I just have a few more things to set up and get the tamer and digidestined on the same wavelength. So, wish me luck and give me some feedback. It's a good incentive for me.**


	9. Learning About Realities

**Aww… After telling you last chapter that some idiot was being stupid and insulting my work, I received a tremendous amount of support from you guys dismissing their comment as immature and incorrect. I really appreciate the support. That idiot "NoobKiller96" apparently insulted random other people because I saw another digimon story complaining about him/her in the summary. Beware of morons on the internet. So again, thank you for your continued support and reviews because those really make my day.**

**On to business: Miss Mizutani is my creation and she be more than just a female Yamaki (there is a great more to her than that, but I can't reveal it all right away). I know that is what it seems like now, but unlike him, she will have a background story!!! A good one! Really!**

**Other notes: I am trying to fill in some empty spaces left by the show. I have a perfect way to explain some of the unanswered questions that we all wonder at some time. The first one is where Destiny claims to have sent Tai and Kari's (and Willis') first digi-egg from the first digimon movie. We know that those who saw the fight between Greymon (also referred to as RedGreymon because of his size difference and color in comparison to normal Greymon, just like he was BigAgumon instead of Agumon earlier) and Parrotmon were chosen because they saw the fight and that Gennai (and his group of hooded figures friends from a flashback) created the crests, tags, and digivices and chose the Chosen digimon based on what trait they exhibited strongest (courage, friendship, love, knowledge, ect.). But, at no point do they explain why in the world they received a digi-egg to begin with and spark off the whole show! So, I decided that it would be explained by Destiny. I have other "holes" in the plot that I can fill later (for 01, 02, and 03), so stay tuned.**

**Now, back to trying to explain things to the Digidestined…**

Takato stared in wonder as they reacted the Kamiya residence. The _Kamiya_ residence. If that wasn't awesome enough, there were four boys standing by the door he could recognize anywhere. And what they were holding or standing beside were equally familiar.

One had dark, smooth hair. He looked so calm and generally a nice guy. He held a brown, spiky, cocoon-like something with a green head poking out. The boy looked too friendly to have once been the Digimon Emperor, but Takato knew that Ken originally had been the terror of the digital world on the show. Or rather, in this reality.

Next was an older boy with short, reddish-brown hair. Under his arm was his laptop and its presence was equally as important in Takato's mind to identify the Digidestined of Knowledge as the green-eyed insectoid digimon beside him. Izzy and Tentomon studied the new arrivals with curiosity.

A blond boy with a white hat held onto an orange shape with bat-like wings on his head. He exchanged a glance with Kari. She nodded. Then, the youth known as T.K. smiled slightly. Patamon shared his grin.

The final pair spotted the silent exchange and the human half frowned. His short, spiky brown hair was topped by the iconic goggles that first inspired Takato to adopt his own yellow version. Though those goggles had belonged to another before. Tai, the original Goggle-head. Their new owner still wore them with pride. In his arms was another digimon. A blue one with a white face. The shape of his head reminded Takato vaguely of a miniature Impmon, which Terriermon would likely make a comparison to it later. From the boy's expression, Davis wasn't quite over Kari, but he wasn't as bad as he used to be. DemiVeemon waved his short arm at the tamers. The new leader of the Digidestined turned his attention to them as well.

"Sweet. Two more digidestined and one has a champion," he grinned, looking at Leomon.

"You know Henry, playing stuffed animal doesn't really get me any respect," pointed out Terriermon, startling Davis with his presence. "No one ignores Guilmon after all."

The tamer shook his head, "Terriermon."

"Do I even have to say it? Momentai, Henry," the rabbit grinned.

"From Kari's phone call, they are more than your average digidestined," pointed out Ken, shifting Minomon in his arms. "She mentioned alternate realities."

"Like that weird dream world?" Davis asked. "I couldn't quite get what she meant."

"From what I gathered, she meant something more along the lines of an alternate human and digital world," explained Izzy. "Gennai likely would be able to explain better, but that's what it sounds like to me. Perhaps he could shed some light on their situation."

"Or maybe you could try talking to us rather than acting like _we can't hear you!_" shouted Rika, causing the digidestined half of the group to jump and the tamer half to shake their heads.

"Is she okay?" asked Agumon to Guilmon softly.

The red digimon shrugged, "She's just grumpy sometimes."

"Where's Gatomon and Biyomon?" Patamon questioned the girl digidestined.

Sora answered, "Bringing along the rest of the group. We have a more digimon coming."

Izzy blinked, "How many more?"

"Just two more for our team are coming," announced Takato, overcoming his awe at the existence of all these characters.

"And as interesting as this is, shouldn't we get inside?" T.K. suggested, glancing around. "Right now we're kind of exposed."

The other digidestined nodded in agreement. Tai pulled out a key and unlocked the door, allowing the various children and digital beings to enter. Jeri glanced up at her partner as the twins slid off him once more. His size was rather problematic at times.

Kari approached her, "You know, we have a balcony. Your friend should be able to fit there fairly comfortably."

"Thanks," smiled the green-dressed tamer. "Leomon is wonderful, but most buildings aren't designed for him."

"Jeri, what's taking them so long?" Ai asked softly. "Do you think Impmon is okay?"

Leomon reassured the child, "I'm certain he and Renamon will be here soon."

* * *

Davis, possessor of the Digi-Eggs of Courage and Friendship, tried not to feel claustrophobic. Even with the largest digimon, Leomon, on the balcony with the sliding door open so that he could hear and be a part of the conversation if he wished, the room was filled with humans and digimon. All the in-training and smaller rookies were being held to prevent anymore crowding. And the boy with the yellow goggles had mentioned that there were more coming. So they were waiting before the strange meeting could officially begin.

DemiVeemon sighed, bored. In this form, he was a playful bundle of energy. But the restriction of space was holding him back. The boy grinned down at him.

"Don't worry. I'm sure things will get more interesting," he assured the digimon.

The digidestined caught sight of the new boy in the blue hoodie. He seemed be wrestling with a bigger, stronger, red and black version of Agumon. The digimon was determined to keep his head in the refrigerator while the brown-haired youth seemed equally set on getting him away.

"But I'm hungry, Takato," cried the reptile.

"Guilmon, we're guests here," explained the boy tiredly. "You can't eat them out of house and home."

The digimon turned and blinked his yellow eyes in confusion. "I wouldn't eat their house. Just the food."

"It's an expression. I don't mean…"

Tai interrupted the exchange, "Hey, if he doesn't mind my mom's leftovers, go for it. Just don't blame me for the results."

"He'll eat anything," snickered Terriermon, earning him a look from the boy earlier identified as Henry.

Suddenly a shout came through the open sliding door. The boy could see Leomon stiffen at the sound and his head turned.

"I'm going to get you for that!"

Davis recognized the voice of an apparently furious Biyomon but the purple blur that leapt through the opening into the overcrowded interior was new. The bird followed quickly, along with Gatomon and a large, yellow, fox-like creature.

"What happened?" demanded Sora.

"That little virus yanked my feathers out," growled the pink rookie to her partner. Sure enough, the purple figure held something in his red glove. "I'm going to make him pay."

The digimon rolled his emerald eyes, "Are all the losers around here so sensitive? Foxy, back me up here. These guys are way too stiff."

"If you insist on antagonizing everyone we come in contact with," the yellow digimon sighed, "you can deal with the consequences yourself. And you know if you try to bother me, I'll tie you up with your own bandana."

"Impmon!" called the two youngest children. Davis couldn't figure out why they were here, considering their age. "We were worried about you. It was taking forever."

"Munchkins, relax a little," he grinned. "Pinky and the stray are just slow." The purple digimon ignored the glares sent by Biyomon and Gatomon. "But I did speed things up at the end."

Then a figure who had been silently standing in the corner, her eyes shut previously as if in deep thought, stepped forward. Her blue eyes swept across her audience. Her cloak looked impressive, but seemed strange in the real world. But it suited her. Silence met her gaze. The dark-haired girl took a deep breath.

"To begin, I am not simply another person," she informed them. "I am Destiny. I am the fulfiller of prophecies. I am the balancer of realities. I have seen the beginning of the digital world's existence on multiple occasions, as well as the destruction of both worlds in a variety of manners. I have been to universes that know only fear, hate, and war between the humans and digimon, just as I've encountered them living in peaceful co-existence."

She paused as they tried to absorb this. The strange digidestined nodded, as if they already knew this. Kari and Gatomon also gave a slight indication of understanding. The rest stared in astonishment at her claims. Davis didn't realize his mouth was open until DemiVeemon closed it for him. It was so strange, this girl describing... _that_ as if she was merely commenting on the weather.

"My duty is to use prophecies I am given to maintain a balance of good and evil, right and wrong, order and chaos, darkness and light to reality. And I do this for several different realities," the girl continued. Her deep blue eyes were so calm and certain, no one felt that her strange words were less than the truth. "Some realities… 'brush' against others. They seem vastly different from each other in most details, but strange coincidences can be found between them. Like familiar people or digimon can exist or similar events occurring in multiple realities that have little else in common." She indicated the new digimon and humans. "Their reality 'brushes' against this one."

"Prodigious!" smiled Izzy. "What you're implying is…"

Tai held up his hand suddenly, "So, not only are you saying that all of you are from some other Earth, which considering all the strange things we've seen in our lives, I could accept, but your reality is 'brushing' ours? How is it 'brushing' against ours, exactly."

"… The show," whispered Takato.

"What?" Ken asked.

Destiny nodded, "There are those who are sensitive to the other realities. They may have odd dreams or strange memories of events that they have never seen, but occur in universes that 'brush' theirs. One of those individuals ended up being the writer for a children's show. Thus, events for this reality were learned in another in the form of apparent fiction."

"So, our lives became a television show?" gasped T.K. in surprise.

"It's called 'Digimon Adventures,' and was my favorite show," confirmed Takato.

"Do you realize how strange that is?" Sora asked.

The new red-haired girl, standing near the tall, yellow, bipedal fox, pointed out, "Stranger than living creatures made of data that come from a world parallel to ours?"

"As fascinating as all this is," groaned the purple rookie, Impmon, "could you get to the point? Why in the world are we here instead of at Braniac's kid sister's party? I have better things to do than deal with a new group of digi-dorks. So, Dee, what's the deal?"

Destiny glanced at him, her face gaining an expression that Davis could not easily identify, and sighed, "While much of what is to come is yet hidden, I do know something is coming. And all must be ready for it. 'Digidestined and tamers will encounter past foes in new forms and new foes in past forms. Secrets hidden even from their owners shall be remembered.' But there still is a great deal to be revealed before this is over."

"Does she always sound like that?" asked Patamon softly.

Terriermon muttered, "She's in prophecy-mode. Of course she sounds all mysterious and cryptic."

Henry, ignoring his partner's comments, finally requested a straight answer. "So what's the next step? Where do we go from here?"

The dark-haired prophetess smiled, "We find Gennai. We entered the digital world and seek him. He has something that we require."

* * *

The tapping of computer keys carried across the entire seventeenth floor. Everyone was focused on their computer screens, working on their job, their mission. The programming algorithms and formulas were complicated for most of their projects, but they were the best. That was why DADP hired them after all.

Miss Mizutani sighed slightly, rubbing her head in frustration. Her current source of annoyance was her pride and joy, her personal project. She had envisioned it since the general public learned of the existence of digimon. In the beginning, though, the idea had seemed too impossibly large in scope and too grand to succeed. But a few months ago, she discovered hope. She made a miraculous break-through and suddenly her dream seemed possible.

A program designed to detect and monitor digimon in the human and digital world, assess their threat level, and remove the dangerous ones. Technically, in her opinion, all digimon were trouble and only suffering would come of them, but just as there were anti-digimon groups, there were also supporters of the digital creatures. DADP couldn't yet remove them entirely, but perhaps someday. Until then, Mizutani's project would serve as insurance.

Guardian was a beautiful program, or it would be. After her original break-through, she had presented the proposal to her superiors. The simplicity of the concept was tempting. They agreed to allow her to continue her work. Now, all her progress was slowed to a crawl. Right now, she could use it effectively if she wished, but it wasn't selective enough yet. She need to set the parameters to be able to assess when one of the digital beings counted as being too dangerous to live.

Mizutani in many ways was an expert in the very creatures she hated. They could be broken into three basic types. Vaccines were generally considered good; their personalities having a high emphasis on justice, morals, and supposedly "fighting evil." Viruses apparently desire power above almost anything and could be greedy, selfish, wild, or "evil." They were the most likely to be danger to the general public. From her research, those digimon who had attacked the real world had been viruses. The final type, data, was more flexible in their behavior patterns. They could act like either of the first types or even somewhere in between.

Then there were levels of power. Baby and in-training digimon were harmless in comparison to their larger brethren. Rookies could harm individual humans, but champions, ultimates, and megas were the real threats to public safety.

So, should viruses be targeted at lower levels than vaccines? Should all viruses be removed? Should vaccines be completely ignored for now? Would removing all megas be best? Mizutani sighed. Should she work on an individual species basis instead of general types? The woman didn't know. And that was what was slowing her down.

She considered her work on screen. And then she glared. Stupid digimon. Even when humans had no contact with those _things_, they could still cause problems. She hated them. It was a deep hate and anger that had burned even before she learned what she hated. How she could despise something the world was ignorant of, she didn't know. She just knew that for years she felt frustration beneath the calming medication that kept her mind away from her past "problems," and the first time she heard the word "digimon," the frustration burst into flaming hate. Her frustration had found it's target.

"If I had my way," she muttered grumpily, "I'd make sure no one would ever deal with one of those digital monsters and any that tried to ruin our lives would be destroyed."

**Okay, I now have a request. Why do you think they need to visit Gennai? What do you think he has that the Digidestined and tamers need? I want your predictions. In fact, give me any predictions dealing with my story you have. I enjoy them. **

**Thanks for reading and please leave a review.**


	10. Lies and Truth

**Mwahahaha! It's that time of year right now. Halloween! (Technically, it isn't exactly Oct. 31, but its close.) So have a happy one!**

**Okay, back to business. I don't own digimon, but I did create the characters of Destiny, Fate, and Miss Mizutani. There will be others before this story is done (including some cool digimon). **

It hadn't taken the pair long to become lost in the forest. Neither Ryo nor Monodramon had ever left the village before, so they hadn't realized how easy it was to lose one's way among the tall trees. But the two friends wouldn't admit they were lost, so they kept going. The simple act of rebellion was becoming a real problem.

"I think the village is that way," Ryo informed his friend, pointing in a random direction.

Monodramon gave him an incredulous look, "Really? Because I think we passed this tree three times already."

"… I'm sure," the boy continued stubbornly. For some reason, he always took the leadership role when dealing with his "twin" and the other young digimon in the village. He didn't know why and he didn't feel comfortable in that position, but he had to look out for them. He acted like the hero who always knows what he's doing. So Ryo kept that image so his friend wouldn't get concern. "It'll be fine."

It was that point where the pair encountered a digimon.

* * *

Those in power of any kind must have sources of information. Preferably, these sources should be secret and efficient. Spies. The better the spies, the greater the chances of retaining power.

The best spies are those placed within enemy ranks. They have better positions when they are ignored even trusted by the enemy. There, they can search loyally for threat tidbit of information for their true commander.

One of the many members of the janitorial service, he was ignored by most people. He was just another guy with a low-paying job who cleaned up after the geniuses. But not as low-paid as his fellow workers. Tenji had another source of income, courtesy of Miss Suzuki. All he had to do was keep his ears open for interesting information. And today he had definitely earned his second source of money.

Outside the Hypnos building, he found a pay phone still in operation. While they were slowly becoming obsolete, some people were still nostalgic about having a few left. So, when repairing all the damage caused by the D-reaper, they agreed to fix some of the pay phones in the area as well.

"This is Miss Suzuki," she greeted after the third ring.

"Hello, this is Tenji. You asked me to listen for important information at Hypnos," he reminded her. Miss Suzuki's displeasure with Hypnos was fairly well known. Especially since the D-reaper, when the appearance of digimon slowed and Yamaki's attitude towards the creature shifted. The woman now sought a way to discredit him and remove him from power. But those closest to him were loyal and kept his secrets. Even with the whispers of him _approving_ of the children and their digimon, of him supporting their efforts to do Hypnos' job, or even the faintest rumor that he was a tamer himself, there was no solid evidence to support it. And she could only gather so much information as long as the blond man was present, his shade-hidden eyes watching her every move. But now… "I just overheard Yamaki's little arrogant _secretaries_ saying he left abruptly without warning. There is no indication of when he'll return, but his absence should cause some chaos as those under him deal with his disappearance."

"Perfect," the woman purred. "I'll see if I can make his absence permanent. Yamaki should have been removed from power and _kept_ out of power. He and his work is a waste of time and money with little to show for his efforts. I'll find evidence of his incompetence." Without another word or even a good-bye, Miss Suzuki hung up on her informant.

Tenji calmly walked home, his shift over. He didn't care what she did. Just as long as he was paid.

* * *

A hooded figure studied the woman before her. As Destiny was supposed to, she had begun to seek out those who needed to go somewhere important in this world. Most would go there anyway, having seen the chaos at the park and seeking answers. But some were yet ignorant and must be guided to where they must be.

The prophetess considered the woman, a parent, who instead of reacting with awe to the mysterious arrival, was glaring ferociously.

"Now, I don't know who or what you are," the mother informed her, "but I'm warning you now that no cloak is going to intimidate me."

"Be at peace, Kokoro Olkowski," Destiny instructed. "I mean you no harm. Instead, I bring you news and instructions to help you in the coming events."

The woman lowered the colorful block she had been holding as a weapon since the girl's appearance in her children's room. "I know who you are now. You showed up last time Ai and Mako vanished."

The cloaked figure nodded, "While I do not recall the specific incident, I accept that this might be so. But it is not the past I come to discuss. Instead, I come to speak of the present and future."

The mother's expression softened slowly, her eyes closing sadly, "They're not coming home soon, are they? They're gone again."

"Yes, none of the tamers nor their partners are present in this world currently," confirmed Destiny. "And once more, those you love must walk a different path from you. But there is something you can do to help all those threatened by a woman's ignorance and hate."

Mrs. Olkowski, hearing she could do more than wait and worry, looked into the shadowy hood and nodded, "What do I need to do?"

Destiny, wondering momentarily why this house and this woman seemed vaguely familiar, answered carefully, "'Seek out those who protect the protectors, who guard the guardians, and are caregivers to those who care for those of two worlds. Gather together at the place that once promised death, but now has hope. Where those who have questions may seek answers. Where the adult tamer rules. Go there and stop the woman who tries to meddle in what she knows not.' And take care, Mrs. Olkowski: Her temper is great and her anger fierce. You and the other caregivers must be greater or she may unleash greater harm than she knows."

She smiled slightly at the prophetess, "Impmon was right; you do seem to enjoy confusing people. I'll do what I can."

The phone began to ring in the other room. As the woman turned to look in the direction of the sound, Destiny left. She knew that most would already be going to where they needed to go. This one just needed the push.

Now the girl had other business to attend to. While the "caretakers" and the others in this world took care of this problem, she had to prepare those in the digital one. Their simple rescue mission would not remain simple and they would need help. And the help would be difficult to give them. If she wasn't who she was, that was.

"'And the guardians of two worlds will gain new power. A power not naturally part of their universe, and yet not unknown. It is a power born from within and stronger than what they already have'," she whispered as she disappeared.

* * *

DemiDevimon couldn't believe his luck. Below him were two familiar figures from his earlier days, from before he died. From when he was in the human world and spying on those tamers. The two figures were supposed to be dead too. Guess that didn't really mean anything anymore.

"You look lost," he confided in the pair, eyeing them for any sign of recognition. About half, if not more, of all revived digimon had no memory of their previous life. Others had only vague ones. He had to be careful with these two. "What are you doing around here?"

"Do we know you?" asked the taller figure, the human one.

DemiDevimon grinned evilly, "Course you do, Ryo. I met you both before you died."

"'Died'?" frowned Monodramon. "We met you before we 'died'? Really?"

"How else would I know your names, Ryo and Monodramon, if we hadn't met?" the bat-like creature informed them, a plan forming in his twisted mind. "How else would I know that you possess a D-arc?"

"A what?"

The dark virus rolled his yellow eyes, "Something humans have when teamed up with digimon to make their partner more powerful. Yours is blue."

"What's a human," the boy questioned.

"Wow, I really have my work cut out for me," muttered DemiDevimon. Then, louder, he explained, "You know the big, circle thing in the sky? That's the human world. Creatures that look like you," he pointed a taloned foot at Ryo, "live there. Most are evil and mean. But kind digimon like me found a few good ones. Like you, kid."

Monodramon and his partner exchanged looks. It was clear they didn't quite trust the virus and his silken words. But he seemed to hold answers to their questions, like why Ryo seemed different than other digimon. They continued to listen.

"Great beings such as me gave you D-arc and loyal digimon as partners. That way, you can give me help in my selfless efforts help others," the bat described creatively. "But some of these human and digimon pairs betrayed our trust and aligned themselves with the crueler humans. They killed you both and took most of my power."

"You know this seems fairly hard to accept," growled Monodramon softly, put on edge by the virus type.

He fixed a yellow eye of the human, "Do you not own a blue device? One with a white ring around a screen?"

"…Yes," acknowledged Ryo. "I have. I've always had it." He pulled out the D-arc and looked at it. His expression was thoughtful and DemiDevimon could see his lies were taking root. "Floramon told me it was important and I'd understand when I was older. Did she know I'm… human?"

"Yep," he answered, not knowing who Floramon was and not caring. "Don't blame her for not telling. She didn't know how important you are to me and what the both of your purpose in life was."

"And what is that?" asked Monodramon.

The bat digimon grinned, "You are here to help me to regain power and to destroy those traitorous humans, those tamers. You two will help me destroy them all and gain revenge for your deaths and my suffering."

* * *

"Look at how pwetty," laughed Suzie, waving one of the ribbons that earlier adorned Lopmon. "I'm a wibbon dancer."

"Me too," Calumon giggled as he glided around, trailing another one. "I'm Ribbonmon now."

"I don't think so," sighed Lopmon, who had opted to ride with Yamaki after Suzie began her excited movements and it became obvious she could not walk fast enough on her own. "Ribbonmon are not generally that outgoing. They're rather shy."

"Okay, then I am SuperAwesomeCoolnessmon," he declared, landing on the head of the girl and struck a heroic pose.

Lopmon sighed again. The former rabbit Deva was just happy that the ribbons that Suzie had decorated her with were off now. Suzie was a sweet, innocent girl, but she did sometimes push it with dress-up. Still, for some reason, Terriermon still received the worse treatment in that regard. Somehow, the brown rabbit had yet to be forced into the new tutu.

Now, they were traveling through the shadowy forest, searching for any sign of their friends. Or rather, she and Yamaki were. Suzie and Calumon had started off some form of a game, dashing around the adult as he walked. Both he and the rookie had given up trying to keep the pair's attention on business.

"Do you have any ideas of what to do?" asked Yamaki suddenly.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, confused by the human. She as not really that close to the adult tamer, but had heard from Terriermon of his past attitude. Apparently, he once hated digimon as strongly as her Sovereign despised humans. Now, he was supposedly a changed man. Just the fact that he was partnered with Calumon seemed to support this. "Why are you asking me, Mr. Yamaki?"

"You've been in the digital world before and, unlike the other two, you are not playing 'ribbon dancer' while we're in a dangerous situation. So I am hoping your opinion on the best course of action might be logical and useful," he explained.

She considered carefully, "Destiny told us that Ryo and Monodramon are on the forest level. But that covers a lot of territory. Perhaps my former master, the Digimon Sovereign, may have some ideas of where they may be or how to find them. But Lord Zhuquiaomon holds no great love for your kind. I would suggest we search this level for the village she told us about and only ask for his assistance if we still cannot locate any of our friends."

The man nodded, "It is probably best not to antagonize him with our presence if we can help it. From what I've heard, he's very powerful." Lopmon nodded as he continued. "But, even if we can find this village, what about the rest of the group? How can we find them?"

"We can always find our friends," cheered Calumon as he took off from Suzie's head once more. "It just takes awhile sometimes. So have fun! When we find everybody, they can play with us too."

* * *

"What are we going to do?" groaned the hat-wearing tamer, staring up at the strange sky.

"Guardromon suggested, "Find our companions?"

"No duh, but how?" Kazu asked. "They could be anywhere. And we have no idea where to start looking."

"Well, we've already know they are not here," the robotic digimon pointed out, indicating the empty landscape. "Logically, we should look elsewhere."

The boy bit back another groan. His eyes caught sight of his wrist. A discolored area of scarred skin formed a perfect handprint. Meramon, a fiery champion, had grabbed hold there. The tamer had been lucky to survive and the damage could have been far worse. But the encounter had taught him several important lessons. One was to always watch your enemy. Another was to listen to his inner voice.

As if summoned, it began to speak to him. And, as usual, it sounded like Rika. The temperamental girl had yelled at Kazu and Kenta so often, the boy guessed she had sunk into his subconscious mind so she could still yell at him. She wasn't a nice part of his subconscious.

"Get up and get moving, you lazy, good for nothing, idiot!" she snarled in his head. "Guardromon can still lead you to that connection to the other levels he sensed earlier and the others were looking for the forest level, right? Chances are if you head that way, you'll find them. If not, you're no worse off than you are now. And if you are stupid enough not to even try, I swear I'll have Renamon use you for target practice when I find you."

Kazu wondered if a threat from his inner voice could be fulfilled by the real Rika. Then he decided not to risk it. With that girl, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Still think you can lead me to that connection to the other levels, Guardromon?" he asked.

**Yay! Things are developing! Okay, Miss Suzuki is also mine (and was in "Destiny"). Tenji is mine as well, but he won't be around a lot. Ribbonmon is Linkmaste's, so talk to her about her. And I know Kenta didn't show up, but he is around and I'll let you know where he ended up being later on. I just have them a little scattered and timing of everything determines whether or not someone is given much attention at that point.**

**Alright. Time to make a request. I want your predictions on some of the things I have been hinting at lately. Like why Mrs. Olkowski needs to go somewhere. Or what "power" the tamers need, according to Destiny in this universe. Come on, I want your guesses.**

**If you won't make a prediction, could you at least give me your opinion on how this is going so far? I hope you're enjoying it and thanks for reading (and maybe reviewing).**


	11. Maternal Instinct

**Greetings people in cyberspace! Another chapter down. I'll have some more fun with the adults. There will be a demonstration of why you never mess with mothers. Ever. But first, we'll check in with Kenta and his aquatic partner. (By the way, I almost forgot that MarineAngemon **_**can**_** talk, he just doesn't usually. I just re-watched an episode where he does.)**

Kenta watched his happy partner float by. MarineAngemon was having the time of his life. The tiny pink mega was in his ideal environment after all.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying this," the boy grumbled. "I'm just glad I'm not drowning."

Currently the pair was in a completely different level of the digital world than before. Instead of a barren wasteland and sand all around them, the data stream had dropped them in an unending sea. Kenta panicked at being underwater until his partner pointed out he was already breathing the water just fine. Then he remembered some of Henry and Takato's stories. That was the point where the tamer really realized how unusual the digital world truly was. So, the pair was drifting with the undertow, looking for any way to get out of there.

"Pii?" asked the small shape, stopping his aquatic fun to look at the boy.

"I'm alright, really," he assured his digimon. "I just hope everyone's okay."

"Yamaki," reminded MarineAngemon, actually saying the word instead of relying on Kenta's expert translating skills. "Pii pii."

"Yeah, he's an adult and everything, but he's new here," the boy explained. "And what if he isn't with Kazu, Suzie, and the rest? Beside, his partner is Calumon. That's not a lot of protection."

"Pii pii," smiled the mega.

"Terriermon would get mad at you stealing his word," chuckled the tamer. "Even if he wouldn't understand you anyway."

After a few minutes, they went back to comfortably drifting, watching for signs of life or ways to escape. The gentle movements were soothing and Kenta began to fall asleep. His partner, noticing the boy's drooping eyelids, smiled. MarineAngemon knew the seriousness of the situation, but he hadn't enjoyed the fun of the ocean depths in so long and there were few options available for them at the moment. The pink mega saw no harm in letting the child rest.

"Pii pii, Kenta," he murmured in his ear before returning to watching the currents.

* * *

The Hypnos building was under attack. Not by some powerful digimon. Not by an out of control program that was destroying two worlds. Not even by a hyper Calumon seeking out his friends who give him creampuffs. No, the building was being stormed by a group of confused and concerned parents. Those who had not witnessed the actual disappearance of half the tamers, such as the parents of Kazu and Kenta, were called by the others and joined in the mob-like group. The poor girl working the front desk didn't know what hit her.

Janyu Wong took pity on the overwhelmed woman, who was still ignorant of the agency's loss of Yamaki because of her low security clearance, and gave her a reassuring smile. Though he was as worried as the others with him, he had to keep calm. His position and background with the digital world made him seem reliable and stable in circumstances like this.

"Excuse me, miss," he explained calmly. "We're here to…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wong," she began suddenly, recognizing the Monster Maker. "Mr. Yamaki has taken the afternoon off and won't be back in until tomorrow."

Rather than mention the blond government agent would not likely be back tomorrow either, as his son's blunt partner would have, the man shook his head, "We're actually here to talk to Riley and Tally. They're expecting us."

The young woman blinked, considering the size of the group, and nodded numbly. "I'll contact them upstairs and let them know you're here."

As she started dialing, the front door opened again. Another adult entered; her face more angry than worried. Janyu recognized Mrs. Olkowski, but none of those at the party had known how to contact the young twins' parents. How the housewife had known to come was a real mystery.

"So tell me," she asked, eyeing the group, "when did you plan to inform me that they're gone again?" Her expression was harsh, but softened as some parents looked guilty. 'Well, it's not like they ever give much warning or anything, but I still prefer to know when they disappear."

"We wanted to," defended Janyu's wife, Mayumi, "but no one knows your phone number or address. It's mostly the children who handle these things. How did you…"

"… know to show up?" she finished. "Someone decided to tell me. Remember the strange prophecy person from the last disappearance?"

"She showed up for you too?" asked Janyu suddenly before the girl at the desk addressed them.

"Take the elevator up. They'll be waiting."

* * *

Less than a minute after the parents were ushered out of the lobby, a red-haired woman took their place. While not as familiar as Mr. Wong, Miss Suzuki was still a known face in this building. She wasn't a welcome presence, however. In fact, the standing orders were for her to remain in the lobby unless Yamaki himself said otherwise. But she walked straight through as if she owned the place.

"Madame, you can't…" began the young woman guarding the desk.

A glare was aimed in her direction as Miss Suzuki warned, "Don't even think of stopping me, secretary. I outrank everyone in this building currently and I have the authority to remove vermin like you if I chose. I'm just here for some files that I have every right to examine. Besides, by week's end, I'll be running this disgrace of an operation."

She opened her mouth, wanting to argue, but afraid she could be exceeding her jurisdiction to impede aggressive woman's way directly. The red-haired menace stepped into the elevator and vanished out of sight. The _assistant_ picked up the phone once more. She had a call to make.

* * *

"Alright, here's what we know so far," sighed Riley as she studied the faces before her. All the Monster Makers, not just Janyu, were present. Mayumi Wong and her two oldest were standing near him. The Matsuki couple who ran the bakery where Riley and Tally bought a delicious variety of breadstuff stared expectantly at her. Rumika Nonaka, the famous model, looked concerned like the rest of them. Mrs. Shioda and Mrs. Kitagawa, the mothers of Kazu and Kenta respectively, were huddled together, their expressions alternating between worried and frustration. Mr. and Mrs. Katou, father and step-mother of Jeri, along with her younger brother or half-brother (she couldn't remember which or what his name was at the moment) seemed shocked. The technician kept going. "A short time before Mr. Wong contacted me, the systems detected a few minor anomalies. They weren't even strong enough to set off any alerts or for our systems to really register the occurrence as anything beyond a possible glitch. I had to go back and really study the output to find them. But the locations are interesting."

The gathered technicians, parents, and Monster Makers were in one of the computer rooms rather than a plain meeting room. Tally pulled up an image on screen. An image of the entire Shinjuku area appeared. Two areas of red glowed on the map.

"One was in the park, where you said half of the tamers vanished. The other was a short distance from the park," she continued, wishing she had better information to pass on. Or better, Yamaki was here to give it. The brunette frowned slightly as she thought of her missing boss. "Specifically, the location is where there were reports coming into the emergency response teams of a serious accident."

Shibumi narrowed his eyes, "Is it digimon related, the accident?"

"No, not as far as I can tell," Tally answered. "Nothing bioemerged and the witnesses claimed that a truck losing control was the source. But it was bad enough without digimon. Several people were killed and more were burned or otherwise hurt."

"Could that be what exploded?" wondered Janyu.

"Quite likely," nodded Tally. "As I said, it was pretty bad."

Mie Matsuki exchanging a worried glance with her husband, "You said several people were killed. Anyone we might know?"

"Let's see," Riley muttered, tapping a few keys. She may not be as good as Yamaki, but she believed in doing her research. Knowledge is power. And while it might be off-topic from their current dilemma, the people in this area end up being fairly close-knit. Naturally, they worry about the people. "… Sorry, they haven't identified them yet. I'll let you know when they do." She looked back towards the main information they had pulled up. "These two areas were possibly portals of some kind and likely that's how the tamers and digimon vanished."

Tally pulled up a short file, freshly added, and reported, "Some of the response team at the scene of the crash claim a group of children and digimon vanished before his eyes. I'd say that proves your theory, even if the rest of you already confirmed this in the park."

"'Vanished'? Not, stepped through a portal?" asked Shibumi suspiciously.

"It says 'vanished,' but there could have been a portal," Tally suggested.

Mei Matsuki shook her head, "He would have mentioned it. The one the Destiny girl used to vanish half the kids and Yamaki was hard to ignore."

Riley blinked. So they knew Yamaki, for sure, was in the digital world. At least, in theory. But the others might not have gone through a portal. Did that meant they weren't in the digital world? If they weren't, then where were they?"

She didn't get the chance to wonder further as the door opened to admit another individual. The woman, with her freshly permed red hair and perfectly manicured nails, strolled into the room as if she owned the building. Or soon would. In her arms were a number of files and computer print-outs and a smug look decorated her features.

Tally moved from her computer, frowning at the newcomer, "Miss Suzuki, you are not authorized to be here."

"Only Yamaki himself can deny me access to this building and, unless he can tell me to leave himself, I plan to remain a few moments more," the red-haired lady announced, confident in her rank and influence to keep her safe. "I just thought I should advise you, Miss Onodera and Miss Ootori, to begin seeking alternate employment. When I gain control of Hypnos, your services will no longer be required."

Riley stared in confusion at the dark-suited woman, as did the others in the room. Many had no idea of Miss Suzuki's identity or her hatred for Yamaki. Once, the two government agents had simply scorned each other and competed for power and funding, like any other government officials. But after the blond man humiliated her (with the help of Calumon, so the rumor said), the furious red-head had sought ways to return the favor. She tried to find ways to discredit Yamaki, but her proof was always too speculative to make her accusations work. Some of the Monster Makers did recognize her, however, and became concerned.

"What are you talking about?" asked Daisy. "You work in a completely different branch than Hypnos. You have no power here."

"Not for long, blondie," she smiled mockingly. "Not after I show the higher ups my findings."

"What findings?" demanded Riley.

Miss Suzuki held up the folders for evidence. They looked like files on personnel or other people of interest. Familiar names were listed on the covers. She opened the first, the name Mitsuo Yamaki written in black.

"Your boss does not have an impressive track record so far," she commented, flipping through the pages. "So many failures. So many mistakes. His prize program, Juggernaut, discarded as too hazardous and unwieldy. Except, of course, when the Monster Makers got a hold of it for use against the D-reaper. And yet, Yamaki claims that it _still_ can't be used properly."

"It can't," Janyu insisted. "It does too much harm."

"Or maybe all of you are just too attached to those dangerous programs to take proper action anymore," suggested the woman. She held up one of the print-outs and seemed to be studying the information. "The digimon with those children are considered 'off-limits' by Hypnos operatives. As much as it pains me," she visibly grimaced, "I can understand that logic. Keep the public happy with these little 'hero' digimon on display. But giving these children access to our intel? Allowing them, not to mention their digimon, to come and go as they please? I'm even finding hints that they are encouraged to manage the Wild ones that appear. Yamaki would rather have _children_ and unpredictable programs to deal with his job than trained operatives." She shook the sheets of paper in emphasis.

"Those children are more effective in many cases," pointed out Tally. "And while no one likes the idea of those kids being in danger, their digimon are not dangerous and protect their partners unconditionally. And they would seek out Wild ones, no matter what we do. Yamaki simply allows them to do what they would do anyway."

Miss Suzuki smirked, "Really? 'Not dangerous'? I have some information for you on who you are defending. Let's forget for a moment that none of the tamers are old enough to make serious decisions." Several parents frowned at her words. "After all, they range in age from four to one who's about to turn thirteen in spring. Not exactly who I would want to protect my home. There are rather interesting bios of them and their digimon, but I'll focus on the less stable half of the team." She selected a file at random and scanned the contents. "Mr. Wong, both of your youngest children are tamers, are they not?"

"Yes, Henry and Suzie are partnered with Terriermon and Lopmon," he acknowledged.

"Funny, I'd be more concerned with my youngest daughter being near a Deva. From what I've read, that group of digimon caused the greatest damage of any," she mused. "I'd be concerned if that's who I was depending on for her safety."

The whole Wong family glared at the woman. None of them appreciated the implications that the sweet, soft-spoken, brown rabbit was a dangerous monster. Riley had, on occasion, seen how the digimon were treated by the parents and siblings of their partners. The digital beings were viewed as part of the family in the cases she had observed. Henry's family was especially like that; Terriermon and Lopmon were almost seen as siblings to their young partners.

"How about Guilmon?" Miss Suzuki asked, selecting another folder. "His personality is described as 'young,' 'child-like,' playful,' and 'friendly.' How quaint." She flipped through the file slowly. "Especially with his less 'socially-acceptable' personality in his mega form of Megidramon."

"I thought he turned into some knight-like guy named Gallantmon," interrupted Takehiro Matsuki, father to the goggle-wearing youth.

"Normally, yes," she admitted. "But reports indicate that his original form was a mindless, blood-thirsty, monstrous creature whose very presence was a danger. Just like the rest of those digital mistakes."

Takato's parents paled at the idea of the happy, bread-eating reptile could become the being the red-haired woman had described. But she wasn't done yet.

"And he's supposed to be one of our heavy-hitters, 'defending the world' and all that. I could go on about the sheer stupidity of this. Not only is this an insult to Hypnos, it is a real liability risk. One child dead along with his 'precious partner.' Another, Miss Katou, lost her partner and was used by another program, the D-reaper, to access the real world." She held up two files with the names Ryo Akiyama and Jeri Katou on them. "Another was injured, burned, while his so-called friend less than a hundred yards away. 'Protect their partner'?" She laughed scornfully.

"They do!" defended Janyu, becoming frustrated with this cold analysis. "None of them would ever let anything happen to the children if they could prevent it. We've seen how much they care for the children, how much they love them. _These_ digimon would never hurt our kids."

Mrs. Suzuki gave a very smug smirk as she selected another file. "None of them would? I find that hard to believe. Especially after reading this. The youngest of these tamers are partnered with the least stable digimon. A bad combo, if you ask me. His violent past, against the other tamers no less, only proves that these_ things_ are just dangerous, no matter how you try to disguise it. When I take Hypnos out of Yamaki's unqualified control, I'll use Juggernaut as it should be: to remove these mistakes from existence. I'd be doing the world a favor to delete anomalies like that vicious, hostile…"

_Slap!_

The woman's cheek gained a red handmark and her mouth opened in shock. Before her stood a shaking Kokoro Olkowski. But she wasn't shaking in fear, but fury. Her hand was still raised from her strike. When Miss Suzuki had begun to talk about the twins and Impmon, the mother had begun to force herself through the crowd. Now, she was glaring at the red-haired government official with undisguised contempt.

"You listen carefully, Kirai Suzuki," she snapped at her victim. "I remember you, even if you don't remember me. We went to school together long ago, but you haven't changed. You're still a condescending moron who hates anything you don't understand or you see as a threat to your power. And right now, you are demonstrating you're complete lack of tolerance or acceptance. Normally, I'd ignore your ignorance and the vile words you are spewing out at us. But when you threaten my family, _any_ of it, then we have a problem." Her eyes burned with anger. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't," she growled, raising her hand further.

"How dare you slap me?" gasped an astonished red-head. "Do you realize that I…"

"Shut up, Kirai," the parent interrupted. "You do not impress me anymore than when you were bragging about being top of the class. I remember that even then you were bitter and alone. Your attitude drove others away. While I'm one of the last people who would advocate placing children in harm's way, I expect that whatever you have in mind is far more dangerous."

"You can't stop me," warned Miss Suzuki. "Once I take this information and make my findings public, there is no possibility…"

"Do you think the public, especially those who have actually met the digimon, will actually believe that all digimon are mindless monsters," Mei asked, stepping forward.

Rumiko approached the red-haired woman as well, "And when it comes to connections and influencing the media, I have more pull than you. If you try to take over and begin your insane plan on destroying everything our children work for or harm them in anyway, I can destroy all of your credibility with just a few calls."

Mayumi Wong, the sweet-seeming woman, spat acidly, "You will not break my children's hearts by taking away their friends. You will not undo all the good that their partnership has done for two worlds. I worry every time they go away, and I always will be, but they have a responsibility. You wouldn't understand that duty and would destroy it all."

"I have no intention of harming your children. If anything, they'll be safer without digimon around," reasoned the government official.

Mrs. Katou shook her head, "Jeri lost her partner, Leomon, for a time. She wasn't really herself for a time after that. Separating partners is the cruelest thing possible."

"And from what my husband has said about Juggernaut, that is exactly what would happen. If we're lucky, that is _all_ that happens," pointed out Mayumi. "Likely, it'll be worse. It's foolish to interfere in what you don't understand."

"So leave now, never come back, and never come near my family," Kokoro Olkowski warned. "Or I swear, I'll make you suffer."

At this point, the door opened to admit a man in a dark suit. He stepped into the room and studied the furious women and stunned men. His gaze came to rest on the red-haired lady.

"Miss Suzuki, I just got off the phone with your superiors who were informed of your presence here," he explained. "It seems that you are outside your authority by being here. At Hypnos, you defer to those who work here. If I may, I shall escort you off the premises and your superiors would like to speak with you personally about this."

She started to follow, but Mrs. Olkowski blocked her way. The mother held out her hand, waiting. Eventually, Miss Suzuki handed over her load of paper and folders. Relieved of her findings, she was forced to walk out of the room in shame.

Janyu and the other husbands stared at their wives. The men, Daisy, Riley, and Tally were completely shocked at the transformation from loving caregivers to ferocious defenders of their families and all they loved. Finally, Takehiro smiled goofily at Mei.

"Honey, have I told you lately that I love you?"

**I've wanted to do that for a long time. And I enjoyed it so much, having the mothers defend their children and digimon. I see them as viewing the digimon as one of their kids now, and will defend them as such. I especially loved having Mrs. Olkowski slap Miss Suzuki.**

**Just to note, Hypnos would keep information on the kids and digimon because it only makes sense. Yamaki is the kind of guy who would have to know everything he could because his ignorance of digimon, the digital world, and all that stuff is what caused him problems in the past. **

**I hope that you are enjoying this so far. Please let me know your opinion. Thanks.**


	12. Group Dynamics

**This chapter should be fairly good sized, but it happens in a short space of time. Mostly, I'll work on some group interactions, a few events that I've always wanted to see happen, and a chance to hint at some things to come. I hope you enjoy the chapter and there should be a surprise near the end that should add some excitement to the story (as if there wasn't enough going on back in the tamers' universe…) and I would love your feedback on it.**

Rather than trying to head for the digital world and find Gennai before nightfall, the Digidestined had suggested they wait for the morning before they begin. And the tamers agreed to this plan, especially considering the stamina of their youngest members. Now, they were arguing on how to divide up because there was no way possible for all of them could stay at one home comfortably.

Sora, having her tennis tournament to leave for first thing in the morning and having to pack still, and Biyomon had already left. She also warned her friends that they better not get into trouble while she was gone or she would make them sorry.

Kari grabbed Destiny's arm and dragged the blue-eyed girl into her room. The Digidestined of Light and her partner proceeded to inform her that she couldn't keep walking around in a cloak.

"Why would you want to?" asked Gatomon as Kari dug through her closet.

"It seems silly, but it was all…" began the prophetess, but she stopped as she remembered that they didn't know about Fate yet.

"All what?" the short-haired girl asked from where she flipped through her clothes.

"Never mind. Cloaks just seem to work well with the job. No one would take me serious in a pair of jeans," explained Destiny, opening a dresser drawer.

"Too bad, because that's what I have. Though I'm more of a shorts girl, myself," Kari smiled, handing over a selected outfit. "Hope they fit."

The dark-haired girl smiled back, before handing the Digidestined a small object. "Here. This was in your drawer and I think you might want to bring it tomorrow. And no, I don't know why yet. Just trust me."

As the girl started trying on the shirt, Kari noticed two things. One, Destiny wore a white dress under the cloak. A simple thing that somehow appeared elegant and pure. Two, the object in her hand was a whistle. The same one that once hung around her neck all the time. She hadn't really thought about it in years, but Destiny thought it was important. Kari placed it in her pocket for now.

Gatomon muttered softly to her partner, "You might want to find her some shoes too."

* * *

"Hi," the youngest boy greeted.

"Hi?" answered Agumon nervously.

He grinned at the orange reptile, "My name's Mako and this is my sister, Ai. Sorry Impmon scared you."

"I wasn't scared," explained the rookie stubbornly. "He just threw a fireball at Tai and Sora."

The girl nodded, "He likes to play tricks sometimes, but he wouldn't hurt anybody. Except when Terriermon annoys him and he throws a fireball at his ear. But only a little one," she assured.

"If you say so," the digimon sighed. "So, how did you know to digivolve him at that distance?"

The pair blinked and Ai looked at the object around her neck. It looked a little like a D-3, only evolved. This one was purple and white with a strange slot on the side. She wore it like an oversized necklace.

"We didn't do anything," she answered. "Impmon can turn into Beelzemon all by himself."

"How?"

Mako shrugged, "He just can. And it's awesome because he'll take us flying sometimes. Plus, he can beat all the bad guys."

Agumon shook his head in amazement. This new group of "tamers" as Destiny called them seemed to have several tricks up their sleeves. Not only did at least one member have the ability to reach the mega level, he could do it on his own. Then there was the strange digivices. What all could those do? He looked over at his partner who was deep in discussion with Izzy. Maybe he could find some answers.

* * *

The Digidestined of Courage groaned, "How long does it take to decide how to divide up?

While it had been established that only Tai's, Izzy's, and Ken's houses had room to spare, which of the newcomers would be at each house was still being argued by the "tamers." For some reason, the boy named Takato insisted on staying here.

"It's a new environment," explained Izzy. "Dividing their forces is a difficult decision. Besides, the logistics behind each possibility must be considered."

"I think it's mostly just trying to keep the troublemaker apart," pointed out Tai, "and keeping track of who refuses to stay near whom."

He meant specifically Terriermon and Impmon, who he had already observed in the park a certain amount of intolerance. Izzy smiled slightly.

"Well, used to be we couldn't leave you and Matt alone," pointed out Tentomon. "Or T.K. and Davis."

"I guess," grinned Tai, reflecting back to the good old days in the digital world. "I just wish we knew more about them. After all, they know all about us. From a television show, no less."

Tentomon shook his head, "That is a little hard to accept."

"And the rest is any easier?" the spiky-haired youth asked.

"Well, I can't tell you anything about these 'tamers,' I could look up their digimon," suggested Izzy, opening his laptop.

"Great idea," the boy grinned. "Let's see… We're already familiar with Leomon and the younger guys told us about Willis' Terriermon. Start with the fox then."

"Okay," the Digidestined of Knowledge muttered, pulling up the correct program. The computer hummed, taking several minutes to identify the strange digimon. Finally, as the youth glared at the machine, a picture and information appeared. "Guess she's not that common around here. According to this, she's 'Renamon, a data type rookie. With her Diamond Storm and Power Paw, she can hold her own against most opponents.'"

Tai looked at where the yellow digimon stood near her partner. They seemed confident enough to fulfill Izzy's prediction of Renamon's power. Near them, Takato rubbed his reptilian creature's head as the tamers continued to talk.

"What about Guilmon? He should be interesting," smiled the original Goggle-head.

Izzy tried to find him. His laptop hummed and the screen flashed. After several minutes, a defeated beeping sounded and a message reading "unknown" appeared. The boy gaped in amazement at the complete lack of information.

"That is so strange," he shook his head. "Nothing?"

Tentomon nodded. Ever since Izzy got this program, there had never been a digimon that had been unidentifiable. The absence was concerning. Even with his harmless-seeming personality, Guilmon's unknown status could be a problem.

Tai sighed, "Guess we'll have to get to know him the old-fashion way."

He glanced over towards the others again. Patamon, DemiVeemon, and Terriermon were having some kind of bragging contest while T.K. and Ken watched. Agumon was speaking to the youngest two children. His sister, Kari, had gone with Gatomon and Destiny into the other room. Davis seemed to be in deep discussion with the purple rookie from earlier. Tai frowned.

"What about Impmon?"

Izzy tried his laptop again, this time with better results. "'Impmon, a virus type rookie. Known for his mischievous nature, his Badda Boom attack is likely to cause chaos for those around him.' That doesn't sound promising; other than Wormmon, there aren't a lot of virus type partners. And Wormmon doesn't act like a virus."

"They said he isn't actually that bad," pointed out the Digidestined of Courage, trying to forget that every actually evil digimon had been a virus. Not that all viruses were necessarily evil, but there had been his scary mega form to consider too. "Izzy, could you check out a digimon named Beelzemon for me too? That was his mega level."

The reddish-brown haired boy raised an eyebrow in silent questioning, but proceeded to tap a few keys on the computer. A picture of a digimon appeared, but Tai spotted several key differences between the image and the being he had observed earlier that day. The computer version lacked wings of any kind. His emerald eyes were ruby red in the picture. And while there were two smaller guns in his hands, he lacked the giant one that encased his arm in the park. But the biggest difference was the digimon's expression. Even as a tiny image, the blood-red gaze seemed crazed and violent.

"'Beelzemon, a mega level digimon. One of a group called the Demon Lords. Specifically, the Demon Lord of Gluttony. His attacks include Darkness Claw and Double Impact.' Wow," read Izzy.

"'Demon Lord'? 'Gluttony'? Care to explain?" asked a confused Tai. "Demon Lord does not sound promising, though."

Izzy selected another file on his computer, specifically dealing with legends and myths of the digital world. "There was apparently seven super-powerful, super evil digimon known collectively as the Seven Demon Lords. Each one was associated with a specific sin that they essentially personified. And, according to this, he was gluttony."

Tai glanced back towards the others. Destiny, Kari, and Gatomon had returned to the room, the former now in a pair of simple jeans and a plain lavender t-shirt. Davis was now trying to talk to the red-haired girl. Guilmon kept eyeing the kitchen as his partner seemed to be pleading with Henry about the sleepover arrangements.

"If gluttony means what I think it does," Tai smiled, "it seems more likely that Guilmon is in charge of that."

Izzy shook his head," While gluttony means literally an overindulgence of food and drink to sickeningly extreme measures, it can be taken to mean other kinds of excesses too. You've heard the phrase 'a glutton for punishment,' haven't you? It could be for power, destruction, chaos, or almost anything."

The Digidestined of Courage sighed. He hadn't really been leader in a while. Sure, all the old team would say he was still theirs and the younger kids would listen to him, but Davis more or less took care of the actual "lead the group into battle" nowadays. Even though he and Matt tried to help against Armageddemon, it ended up being Imperialdramon that saved the day. And before that, Davis resisted MaloMyotismon's dreams. The younger Digidestined was the real leader now. But Tai could still make some important decisions for the team when needed.

"Let's keep this quiet for now. Besides, the Beelzemon I saw was different than the one on your computer. But, we'll keep an eye on him just in case. Between him and Guilmon, we may be in for some surprises."

* * *

"Devimon," announced Patamon. "Mister Tall, Dark, and Evil."

"Please," Terriermon rolled his eyes. "IceDevimon. Just as evil, but colder. Really had a thing for Rika."

T.K. and Ken simply watched as the two rookies and DemiVeemon compared bad guys. Minomon remained in the dark-haired boy's arms. It was interesting to see the bragging escalate as they chose more difficult opponents.

DemiVeemon suggested, "Myotismon: normal, Venom, or Malo."

"You only faced the last one," pointed out Patamon.

"So?"

"Mephistomon. He dragged us into some weird world and Growlmon squashed him with a boat. But he wouldn't stay dead," grinned the rabbit. "Until he digivolved into Gulfmon and we blasted him to smithereens."

"Dark Masters. Four guys out to get us," the orange rookie submitted.

Terriermon shook his head, chuckling, "Four? Try twelve Devas. Well, eleven since Antylamon joined our team and is back home."

"Digimon Emperor. Sorry Ken," apologized DemiVeemon, "but you were pretty impressive as a bad guy."

"Yamaki. Head of Hypnos, the 'destroy all digimon' agency," the white and green digimon shot back.

The Digidestined of Kindness frowned slightly as the small, blue in-training digimon reminded the boy of his past. His actions as the Digimon Emperor still haunted him, even if it was the Dark Spore influencing his thoughts at the time. But DemiVeemon didn't mean to make him feel guilty. And ever since his MaloMyotismon-induced dream, Ken knew it was wrong to keep blaming him. Patamon continued their game.

"Try BlackWarGreymon. All he wanted to do was fight and was always looking for the next challenge to pound into the dirt."

"We ticked off a Sovereign! And we fought him and lived," boasted Terriermon.

"A what?" Ken asked.

The rookie closed his eyes, trying to remember any of the odd discussions between Takato, Kazu, and Kenta, along with the occasional rerun he caught when Suzie had dragged him around like a doll.

"I think you call them the 'Four Harmonious Ones'?"

Both humans and digimon blinked at this statement. They had only met Azulongmon, but he didn't seem like the sort to be "ticked off" nor the type would you want to.

"Why did you tick him off?" asked T.K.

"Zhuqiaomon isn't really that big a fan of humans," the rabbit shrugged.

"We took on Apocalymon. Really big, really powerful, really evil," Patamon bragged. "And we faced Diaboromon, the recurring virus-infected internet-crawling digimon that not only tried to blow everybody up years ago, but also showed his ugly face again just a few months ago with thousands of his lower levels invading the city."

"Top that," grinned DemiVeemon.

The long-eared rookie shook his head again, his expression patronizingly, "We saved two worlds, twice, from the destruction of the D-reaper."

"The what?" Ken narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"A computer program designed to 'delete programs that exceed their boundaries.' Then it decided that digimon, and later humans, counted as 'too evolved' and 'too illogical' to exist and tried to destroy everyone. The thing deleted anything it touched practically," explained Terriermon. "And even after we used super program cooked up by a bunch of egg-heads and destroyed the thing, and being separated from our partners in the process because Henry's dad can't come up with a better solution, it still found a way to send 'zombie digimon' after us." He ended by muttering, "Stupid pink goo."

"…You win," DemiVeemon squeaked finally.

The rabbit digimon then took a triumphant pose. "Victory is mine."

* * *

Impmon sighed, watching the large group of children and digimon, bored. His tamers were talking to the orange pineapple-head knock-off, so he was left to his own devices. Anyone who knew him, even remotely, knew that a bored Impmon means trouble.

In addition to his usual Goggle-head, there was a new boy with goggles on. This guy was teamed up with a tiny blue digimon that was similar in size to Calumon, minus the expando-ears. That particular creature was over near Terriermon and an orange, flying creature with bat-wings on his head. The new goggle-wearing, short-and-spiky-haired kid was near the purple rookie, staring off towards where the girl with the cat, Kari, had vanished with Destiny and the feline. Obviously, he _liked_ Kari, if the goofy expression was anything to go on. And, just as obviously, the kid had almost no chance and knew it.

Impmon grinned as an idea formed.

"Hey Hedgehog-hair, you like the chick with the mangy cat, don't you?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh? What?" the boy responded, reminding the virus type of Takato even more strongly.

"Not that hard to understand. You. Like. Her. And you have a better chance of getting her attention than for Guilmon to give up on eating bread willingly," Impmon explained. "I've seen losers like you fall flat on your face trying to get a girl to notice you're alive. So, Hedgehog…"

"My name's Davis," the boy interrupted.

"Good for you," dismissed the digimon. "As I was saying, I know how you can your 'darling sweetheart' to pay attention to you. It's actually fairly easy."

The goggle-wearing blinked in surprise. "I've been telling her she should be my girlfriend for ages. And you have a solution? What's the catch?"

Impmon gave a grin any of the tamers would recognize as trouble. Davis didn't have experience with that look. Poor Goggle-head.

"It's simple. Make her jealous."

"How?"

"…You're kidding? No wonder you have a problem. Act like you're head over heels for some other girl and suddenly she's interested in you. Then the pair of you digi-dorks can ride off into the sunset or whatever. Understand now, genius?"

The boy nodded slowly, "Alright, but where do I find a girl to get Kari jealous with? The girl with the green dress seems nice…"

As much as he loved a joke, Impmon didn't want to involve Jeri in this. Besides, he already had the target picked out. One perfect for his plan.

"Sorry, she already has one Goggle-head drooling over her. You'd have better results with the red-head with fox-face. She's more likely to… respond to your attempts. Just go over, wait for you girl to look your way, and then put your arm around Rika or kiss her or whatever," he advised. "Good luck, Hedgehog."

The purple rookie grinned as Kari, Gatomon, and a now cloak-less Destiny re-entered the room. As soon as the kid spotted his crush, he headed towards Rika. Or, as Impmon was currently thinking evilly to himself, the boy's impending Doom.

He stepped over to the sliding door to the balcony. Sitting there, his attention switching between the gathering inside the building and the sunset-painted skyline outside, was the leonine champion of the group. Even after all that had occurred since Leomon's revival, the virus type was still uncomfortable around him. Really, how do you act to someone you once brutally murdered? But the pair had come to a silent understanding. It had arisen from various circumstances where only one of the two digimon was present.

When Jeri had been in danger from the D-reaper, and later Kiwimon, Impmon had tried to help her as best he could. At the time, Leomon couldn't protect her, so the rookie more or less fulfilled the role of partner. And when Polydromon squeezed him from existence, Impmon asked the lion to protect Ai and Mako. Leomon agreed to it. So now, the two digimon sort of represented a secondary partner to the other's tamers if needed. Basically, if the situation arose, they would protect the other's partners as if they were his own.

Leomon stared at Impmon for a moment, clearly having heard the virus' exchange with Davis. He raised his eyebrow questioningly. The purple rookie shrugged, grinning slightly. After a moment, the troublemaker jerked his head towards those inside, silently asking the champion. Leomon glanced through the open door towards the youngest pair. The leonine warrior nodded, agreeing to the request.

With the favor agreed to, Impmon turned his attention back inside. He didn't want to miss the show after all.

* * *

"Come on, I'll never get another chance like this! Just let me stay," begged Takato.

"We need to be logical about this," Henry sighed. "Leomon is the most noticeable and least portable member of the group. The easiest thing would be for Jeri and him to stay here."

"And we're not leaving you here anyway," Rika smirked. "You'll be drooling after Tai more than Kazu and Kenta used to over…" She paused. "Anyway, you'd be better off away from your idol."

"I don't mind staying here," Jeri smiled. "Rika, are you and Renamon staying here too?"

She shrugged," Might as well. Just don't expect a huge slumber party or something."

"Alright, Izzy said he could only have about two of our pairs," Henry continued. "I'd like to talk to him, so I guess Terriermon and I could stay there."

"What about the twins? We can't leave them with strangers," pointed out Jeri.

"They can stay with Henry and then me and Guilmon can stay here," Takato suggested.

Rika glared slightly, "No. We are not having Terriermon and Impmon together."

"Takato, why do you want to stay here so bad? They don't have much food left," asked Guilmon.

The boy rubbed the reptile's head and chuckled, "Because you already ate most of it."

"I was hungry," the red rookie muttered.

"You're always hungry."

"So?"

He laughed slightly, "Some things never change, do they?"

"Nope," grinned Guilmon. "So why do you want to stay here?"

"Well, Tai is kind of… a role model for me," the tamer tried to explain.

"The original Goggle-head," muttered Rika, smiling at the idea.

Guilmon blinked in confusion, "But we just met him. How is he your 'role model'? And what's a role model?"

"Someone you look up to," Renamon explained. "A role model is someone you try to act like because they represent what you wish to be like."

"Can bread be a role model? Because I'd like to be yummy. Then I could eat me," smile the naïve creature.

Takato laughed, "It doesn't quite work like that. But I sort of do know Tai. Kind of. Not really _know _him, but…"

"Goggle-head, you're going to confuse him worse," sighed Rika, noticing that Kari, Destiny, and Gatomon were rejoining the rest of the crowd.

"He saw him on television," Henry tried to explain. "Remember what Destiny said about that earlier?"

The digimon frowned slightly, "When she talks funny, it makes my head hurt."

"If it makes you feel better, so does mine," Davis assured the rookie, coming towards them. He stepped over to stand near Rika, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Weird things like this always seem to happen though."

"Come on, there has to be a way for me to hang out here," Takato begged Henry.

"Takato, it makes more sense for me and you to take our partners to Izzy's house," the boy sighed.

"And the twins can stay here with me, Leomon, Rika, and Renamon," suggested Jeri. The girl frowned then. "But what about Destiny?"

"Ken did say he had room for one, but it wouldn't be fair to automatically put her by herself," sighed Takato, eyeing his partner who's attention was once more on the kitchen.

"She has quite a bit of experience alone," Rika pointed out, but nodded. "I don't care one way or another. I'll ask if she wants to stay here instead."

Davis, glancing over at where Kari stood, leaned close to the red-haired girl. "You're so nice. Thinking of others first."

This statement would have caused Terriermon to die laughing if he wasn't busy declaring his victory over Patamon and DemiVeemon. It only got better from there.

With all the subtlety of a parade, the boy started to slip his arm around her and his face leaned close to hers. In his mind, he was emulating any main character from a movie that was always getting girls falling for them. Or even Willis when he kissed the girls while the Digidestined had been in America to tick off Davis. His chosen target was not nearly as receptive.

Even if Renamon could have handled the pest if asked, Rika took pleasure in her self-reliance. So, the girl quickly elbowed the boy hard in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. Then, the tamer spun around and punched his chest. Unbalanced and out of breath, Davis fell as she finished with a slap to the face.

"Are you naturally stupid or are the goggles cutting off the air to your brain?" she screamed, drawing the attention of every human and digimon in the room. "Honestly, at what point did it seem like a good idea to… to hug me or kiss me or whatever was going on in your head?! I barely know you! Even Ry… no one does this kind of thing." Her eyes burned dangerously at the boy at her feet. "Come on, even idiots like Kazu and Kenta have some form of logic and survival instinct. Where's yours?"

"I… I…" babbled the boy.

Two voices were laughing hysterically at this point. Terriermon was cracking up at the sight while Impmon was struggling to stand at his position near the sliding door, holding his sides as he laughed. Rika shot both an evil look.

"Are you alright, Davis?" his diminutive blue partner asked, concerned.

The red-head snarled, "Why? Where did you get such a crazy idea like that?"

"It… It… It was… It wasn't my idea," he stuttered, staring at his possible death. "He… He told… told me…" The boy was pointing towards the purple rookie, unable to finish a sentence.

But the tamer understood his intent. Rika spun to face Impmon. Her expression only caused him further enjoyment. The digimon didn't seem to realize his danger yet.

"You!" she hissed, her voice soft and dangerous. "You're behind this, you little monster."

"You got it, toots," he smiled. "Rather impressive display too."

"You have exactly five seconds," she growled.

Impmon was already dashing out to the balcony. "Be good for Jeri and Leomon, munchkins," he called back as he vanished into the city.

"He is so dead when he gets back," muttered Terriermon, "but he'll die famous for that one."

* * *

The most basic form of Guardian was already on-line and was being tested. This was essentially her initial program that she had presented to her superiors. There were no fancy scanners, screenings, or selection of targeted digimon. It was essentially an invisible shield. Any digimon that came in contact with it would be destroyed. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the shield form was being used in a weak form that existed only a small distance.

It served well as a security system. DADP needed to keep digimon away from the floor. From what Mizutani had calculated, a circle around the entire seventeenth floor of the building would prevent any of those monsters from getting inside. Beyond that was a layer of "discouragement." It would subtly force the so-called "domestic" digimon to avoid the area without drawing attention by destroying digimon randomly. Not that she wouldn't mind a few less of those creatures.

Mizutani checked the energy levels of the program, ensuring that it was operating correctly. Right now, it was little more than an oversized bug zapper, only instead of attracting the prey, it repelled them. Still, someday it would be more. And all these problems about digimon, digidestined, the digital world…

She took a calming breath. She hated the fuzzy feeling from her medicine, but if she avoided it too long, she started having the dreams and strange emotions. The delusions, according to her parents and doctors, would try to return. They started a decade ago, and only got worse until she started the medication. Now, she couldn't even recall the dreams themselves. Too many years of the fog in her mind had erased the details of the delusions, clouding them, but they still fuzzily returned when she skipped. But the emotions connected to them always remained. Anger, frustration, longing, loss, and sorrow filled her dreams. She may not remember the topic of her delusions anymore, but the emotions always remained under the medicine. But the medicine still helped.

She yanked open her drawer, two objects of importance resting inside. The pill bottle was what kept her attention. She stared, wanting to touch it. Ten years of delusions, eight years of medication-induced fuzz. It kept her calm and hid her delusions, but she didn't want that. She wanted a clear mind for what was to come. The final product of her work, the final form of Guardian, deserved to be appreciated completely. Until then, she could deal with the rest.

She slammed the drawer again and pulled up her programming for Guardian.

**Enjoying the story so far? I've always wanted to have Davis get attacked by Rika. I also enjoyed having the "boasting contest." And I laying a few clues of what is to come in this chapter. And I got to have the ultimate prank by Impmon. In case you didn't notice, this is more or less, happening simultaneously. I tried to make this clear though. All in all, I enjoyed this chapter immensely. Let me know what you think. And thanks for reading.**


	13. The City at Night

**Impmon is so toast when Rika gets a hold of him. But it was so worth it. I got a few good reviews implying that you also enjoyed the prank. So, thanks to Agrotera Thanatos, Kirai-Ninja, and Naphtali Phoenix for reviewing to the last chapter. And thanks to all of you who read but forget (you **_**do**_** just forget, right?) to hit the review button. I'm sure you'll remember to review this time, won't you?**

**Now, here is another chapter for your viewing pleasure. Please enjoy. And to start off, boys and girls are completely different creatures. While the boys feel some pity for poor Davis, the girls feel Rika's reaction towards both him and Impmon was completely justified. **

"Is she always like that?" asked Tai, amazed at what just happened.

Henry shook his head, "She's actually mellowed out quite a bit since we first met her. Things have just been rough lately."

Davis was off the floor now, but his eyes were locked on Rika. The red-haired girl looked slightly calmer, her hands no longer formed into fists by her sides. Her fiery temper cooling just as quickly as it erupted now that her revenge against one of her targets was complete, but her glances towards the sliding door indicated that Impmon wouldn't get away unscathed permanently.

"I just don't think leaving the pair together long would be smart," the dark-haired tamer continued. "She can still hold a grudge and Davis seems a little afraid of her now."

"With reason," mumbled Agumon. "She creamed him."

Terriermon shrugged, "Rika is Rika. Even without Renamon, she can take care of herself. And she doesn't tolerate stupidity well."

"Which would make me wonder how you've survived this long," grinned Henry.

"Henry," the rabbit groaned.

"Momentai, Terriermon," laughed the boy.

"Okay… That was weird," muttered Takato at the reversal of the usual exchange.

"Why did Impmon try to get me killed?" Davis asked, coming over to the group.

Takato shook his head, "He got bored, I guess. It's just how he is. How'd he get you to…"

The Digidestined blushed, "He was giving me some advice. He said that if I wanted to get a girl's attention, I should try to make her jealous."

"So he suggested you approach Rika while Kari watched," realized Takato. Noticing the other Goggle-head's surprise at the identification of the girl, he explained simply, "Television show."

Terriermon chuckled, "Sorry, but he got you good. If it makes you feel better, Rika's going to kill him."

Tai shook his head, "That digimon really is trouble, isn't it?"

"You should have seen him in the past," boasted the rabbit digimon. "This is nothing to what else he's done."

"Are you boys standing around gossiping about me?" asked Rika suddenly, her voice dangerous calm. The girl stood near Jeri, Renamon, Kari, Gatomon, Destiny, and the twins. The girls had been whispering in that infuriating way that meant no good for any males that approached. The kind of talk that boiled down to the idea that men were jerks and nothing else mattered. In between the two groups were Ken, Minomon, T.K., Patamon, Izzy, Tentomon, and Guilmon. Those trapped between Rika and those she was asking felt nervous about their current position, as if they were in the line of fire. "Because I wouldn't suggest that considering I'm still here."

"We wouldn't do that," assured Takato worriedly. "We're just... talking about… bread?"

"Bread?" asked Rika, raising an eyebrow.

"Yay, bread!" Guilmon cheered.

"Yes, bread," the goggle-wearing tamer continued frantically, trying to keep the red-head from growing angry again. "We were… discussing if there was… anywhere nearby that I could get some bread for Guilmon."

She stared for a moment, unable to formulate an answer to Takato's random excuse. Finally, she sighed. "Goggle-head…" She glared as three heads snapped to attention. "_Our_ Goggle-head!"

"I now call this meeting of the Goggle-heads to order," snickered Terriermon. "First order of business: get a better sense of style."

"Save it," she ordered the digimon. Then, she turned her attention back to her fellow tamer. "Goggle-head, you are pathetic at excuses. I'm surprised you hid Guilmon as long as you did. I have no problem adding you to my 'revenge list' with Impmon if you keep this up."

"Please don't be mad at Impmon," Ai asked, her young voice full of concern. "He wasn't trying to be mean. He was just playing a joke."

Mako added, "You wouldn't do what Terriermon said and kill him, would you?"

The pair's eyes were so pleading and upset, everyone in the room took pity on the youngest children. Even Terriermon looked a little guilty that he had inadvertently planted the idea in their heads. He actually like young kids; that was why he put up with Suzie's treatment of him for so long.

Rika shook her head, "I wouldn't really hurt him. But I will get my revenge."

"So you won't hurt him, but I, who is just as much a victim as you are, get beaten for a mistake," complained Davis, before he realized he was drawing the last person's attention he wanted.

"You're a Goggle-head," she explained. "You guys survive anything. Get over it."

This is the point where Mrs. Kamiya, mother to Tai and Kari, opened the front door. The woman entered the room, stopped, and stared at the thirteen children and nine digimon crowded inside. Her gaze traveled to where Leomon sat on the balcony. Finally, she smiled.

"I didn't know you two were having friends over," the mother informed her children. "I could have had some spinach cookies ready."

All the children and most of the digimon visibly gagged at her words. Guilmon grinned and walked over to the parent.

"That sounds yummy!" he informed her.

Mrs. Kamiya, used to the presence of digimon by now, patted his head, "Well, aren't you sweet. No one ever appreciates my recipes."

"I like food. Especially Guilmon Bread because its shaped like my head," confided the red reptile.

"Should I ask?" muttered Tai.

"Not really," Terriermon answered.

* * *

Chuckling still, a purple shape jumped across the rooftops with ease. Though he was in another reality and the streets were strange to him, he had plenty of practice navigating through the upper parts of the city. For him, ledges and phone lines were highways. Normally, he preferred to be on the highest level at all times, but some of these buildings were too much taller than those bordering them that he was forced to go around or move along window ledges. But Impmon was enjoying himself.

Not only did he get to pull off the ultimate prank against the Ice Queen and survived (for now…), he had a whole new city for fresh targets. He could run anywhere he felt like, completely free. Nothing could stop him. No one could hold him back.

The purple rookie paused, considering that last thought. It reminded him of the old days. Back when he felt relying on anyone, partner or even friend, would be stupid and pathetic. That he didn't need anyone, especially humans. He saw his own tamers, Ai and Mako, as a hinderance, trouble, and even a painful emotional drain. Those days were gone, but his desire for freedom and occasional solitude remained. Even if his independent streak remained, his former illusions of his twins holding him back or not being worth the effort to be with were banished.

"Wow, that's weird," he muttered. "I end up somewhere completely new and it gives me flashbacks. Where's the logic in that?"

The digital creature kept glancing towards the streets in case he might find an unsupervised food cart or another item of interest. As he passed some kind of computer store, with various pieces of expensive-looking equipment on display in the windows, a large crowd of men and women stood outside with signs. Impmon, even after all the trouble his illiteracy had caused him in the past, still didn't have the ability to translate the various scribbles into understanding. But from their expressions, he didn't think they were here for the newest video game. The rookie paused to study the gathering.

"Protect our world, protect our children," shouted a brown-haired woman with moon-shaped glasses.

"Real life, not artificial," cried another woman, waving a sign with writing and a picture of a computer, a red line slashed across the image.

A man in a green cap picked up a rock and tossed it at the store, yelling, "Digital _monsters_! We don't want them here."

Another joined him, picking up a stone. This guy, holding another sign with a really creepy picture of something, likely supposed to be a digimon, with huge claws, teeth, and red eyes. The writing underneath was probably something equally as stupid as what the humans were yelling.

"Stupid technology made those things," he announced, throwing the rock and cracking the window. "Focus on fixing this problem, you jerk."

An angry person, likely the owner, stepped out of the building. His face was red with anger and his blond hair barely covered his head, no matter how he combed it. Opening his mouth, his deep voice boomed over the chants and cries.

"I've already called the police about your actions. And just so you know, I did not create digimon personally, nor did my business. What's more, I cannot do anything about them one way or another. You're wasting your time here."

"You like those things, don't you?" accused the woman with a sign from earlier. "You sympathize with those abominations. Even a geek like you should know data isn't real life."

He glared at her, "Madam, if you have a problem with digimon, talk to the government or someone who can do something about it. I have nothing to do with them and have no intention of getting involved. Now, get off my property or wait for the police to remove you forcibly. Your choice."

The crowd began to disperse, leaving the four talkative members facing the balding man. All five of them remained locked in their hateful stare. Finally, the glasses-wearing woman shook her head.

"Those monsters are a threat to our children, our homes, and our lives. Let's see how long you can ignore the danger."

With that, she and her protest buddies parted ways and left behind an angry shopkeeper and a furious Impmon. From his perch above, he was growling in frustration. As much as these idiots deserved a Badda Boom to the head, it would do more harm than good. He attacking them would "prove" that digimon were a threat to the public and that action needs to be taken against the "abominations." How moronic can these humans be? Judging all digimon by the actions of one or two…

Yikes, flashback again. Didn't he do the same sort of thing in his view of humans? Ugh, this reality really stinks if all it was going to do is drag up his past memories. He took a deep breath, extinguishing the small flames he had formed on his fingertips in his rage against the thick-headed idiots.

No wonder Hairball, his "girlfriend," and their partners reacted so strongly to his joke. If he tried it on one of these nut-jobs, there would have been some real problems for the digimon. And they would have had to deal with it, even after he went home.

"Wow, Renamon would be impressed," he mused. "I'm actually considering the consequences of my actions. Before I do something crazy and nearly die or mess everything up. Better be careful or I'll end up like Braniac."

He leapt to the neighboring rooftop and then the next. Neon signs began to glow as sunset faded into twilight. Shadows lengthened and lights came on to fight the coming darkness. The purple rookie stepped lightly upon thick wires strung between more distant buildings. The city at night always held appeal for him and calmed him slightly. Glancing through various windows as he went, he could sometimes spot children getting ready for bed, reminding him of his tamers and that not all humans are as bad as some.

As he left the residential and small business section of the city, tall buildings occupied by suit-wearing adults replaced the apartments and stores. Instead of trying to climb to the top of these huge structures, he took advantage of the ledges and balconies that wrapped around some of them. About to head back to the Hairball's home, he landed on the ledge of the tenth floor of an ordinary-looking building.

Impmon paused; an odd, light buzzing sensation had started when he landed. It was faint and vaguely unpleasant. He almost subconsciously wanted to go away, but he never did what he was told, even if it was some strange feeling that was telling him. He reached up towards the next ledge, leaping to grab it. The buzzing increased in power and unpleasantness as he climbed up to the eleventh floor.

The digital being continued his climb, his stubbornness and curiosity forcing him onwards even as the sensation tried to discourage him. As he climbed higher (ensuring that he kept out of direct view of the windows), the unpleasantness turned to mild pain. The buzzing hurt, almost stinging under his skin. He frowned at the sensation. Common sense and survival instinct screamed that going _towards_ something causing him pain was five kinds of stupid, but it also meant that something or someone didn't want him to go there. It meant they were hiding something important. And possibly dangerous for them all eventually, including his twins. Great, now he sounded like some kind of paranoid loser.

As soon as he touched the ledge of the seventeenth floor, the digimon yanked his hand back and nearly fell off the building entirely. The stinging, buzzing sensation had intensified strongly and a familiar _tingling_ had joined in when his fingertips brushed against the stone. That was a bad tingling and it scared him enough to make him react without thought. Luckily, breaking that connection quickly was what he needed most. He stared as his hand _flickered_ and wavered for a moment, trying to come apart entirely. His hand was on the brink of dissolving into data, simply form that brief contact. If he hadn't remembered what dissolving felt like, it could have been worse.

It took several minutes, but his hand stabilized to its more usual appearance. It still felt odd, a little numb and hard to move, but Impmon felt reassured that whatever he had encountered didn't cause any permanent damage. Carefully, he began his trek across the city, taking his time and considering his discoveries.

To summarize his evening, Impmon sarcastically muttered, "This reality stinks. Crazy loonatics with signs and freaky buildings of doom. Can't wait until we find out how chaotic the digital world is."

* * *

_Something had encountered the program. It only lasted for a second, but it worked. The moment had pulled energy out of the digimon, trying to take so much that it could no longer keep its body together. And it would have worked if it lasted longer. It was a work of art, fulfilling his intent so far and had great potential for the future._

_Guardian was his work. The human woman may claim that it was hers, and he did base it off her idea. But he altered her programming just enough to make it work. He also inserted his "personal touch" to the program. Oh, what a day it had been when he found her. While some may see it as a failure, because it was also the day of one of his defeats, but he had left a legacy that even now was coming to fruition. While the human, Tamiko Mizutani, worked on Guardian and turning it into the perfect weapon, he would work from his end to ensure that a war would start. Human versus digimon. Both groups would destroy the other._

_His "savior" had arrived and was serving his purpose perfectly. Though he appreciated being saved after his last encounter with those Digidestined, he still hated dealing with his current "ally." As long as things kept going according to plan, it didn't matter in the end._

_He heard his companion ask if he needed any help. How pathetic. True, once he had been helpless and was rescued by the being before him. But now, he was powerful again and they were working on separate parts of the plan. His part was secret to his companion, but his "ally" was trusting of him. Fool._

_He glanced over and answered, "No, I do not. Do not interfere."_

* * *

**Mystery enemy!!! Finally. It took a while to get this far because I have a lot of set-up to do and getting the timelines to match. Still, I think it is going well. Now, I request your guesses on the identity of the mystery enemy. I want to know who you think it is. I will accept all guesses, no matter how strange. (Rainbow35, you cannot guess that MarineAngemon is evil again! That's just **_**too**_** strange for me) I would love to know your ideas. Thanks again.**


	14. Darkness Falls Across the Land

**Yay! Updates! Ryo has an interesting background (not to mention complicated…) that is apparently explained in several digimon games that I'm afraid I never played. Thus, I am working off summaries of the storylines of those games and Digimon Wikipedia in order to incorporate it some what. While I won't delve into it greatly, I will try to bring some aspects into my story. Mostly, these few connections will be handled later in my story and even then not much. I just thought I'd let you know this.**

**Oh, someone wanted to have Mr. Olkowski say more. So here he is finally. Hope you like the chapter.**

Kokoro Olkowski glanced out the window as night began to fall. Between the Monster Makers and the technicians, Riley and Tally, Hypnos was still organized and under the control of rational individuals. She shook her head in frustration over her old school mate, Kirai Suzuki. The red-head had always been trouble, but she wanted to turn on an unstable weapon, destroy all the digimon she could with it, and even though that the woman claimed at first that she had no problem with the kids having their partners because of the publicity benefit, her later words demonstrate she held them in contempt and would either break the pairs apart or even destroy those digimon as well. If that _monster_ ever got any real power to try these things, then…

The mother smiled ruefully. _That_ was why the hooded figure had instructed her to come. The mothers of the tamers, the "caregivers to those who care for those of two worlds," had been the ones to "stop the woman who tries to meddle in what she knows not" and kept her from taking her evidence and plans to those in power. The girl knew what she was doing. What was her name…? Mei Matsuki had said it right before that idiot Suzuki arrived.

As she tried to remember, the elevator binged as it arrived at the floor again. The doors slid open.

"A note?" a voice asked suddenly. She turned to find her husband coming off the elevator. He didn't look so much angry as exasperated. "Our children vanish again, you run off to this government building, and all I find when I get home is a note? This is a little unnerving sort of thing to come home to after a long day at work."

She sighed, "I'm sorry, dear, but I had to come and help get a handle on events. Kirai Suzuki was here causing problems."

"That girl from school?" he asked confused. "The annoying one?"

She nodded, "That's the one. She was trying to take over Hypnos and just ruin the world in general during Yamaki's absence."

"So, not only are the children missing, but so is the man in charge here," her husband summarized slowly. He sighed softly, resigned to the events unfolding before him. "What can we do to help?"

Kokoro considered. Neither of them was gifted enough with technology to assist the Monster Makers in monitoring equipment or trying to discover what had occurred with the second group, the group with her children, had vanished. Rumiko Nonaka's fame and experience with media of any form could handle any public relations that may come up. The Matsuki couple, especially Mei, were experts at multi-tasking and managing chaos, this experience gained both from running their business and raising their son. Those two might have little practice with large numbers of employees, but they were working well at organizing the parents and Monster Makers along with the other Hypnos members into a manageable system, the wife's strong personality forcing stubborn government agents to obey civilians without question. Others took care of the remaining children, the two eldest Wong kids and Masahiko Katou, and generally helped out as best they could.

Still, they needed a way to help. Some role only they could fulfill. As a housewife, her skills that could be applied here were limited. Her husband's job, however, held possibilities. Though his generally laidback nature seemed opposed to his career choice, he was highly successful at it. And even if Suzuki's initial assault to crumble Yamaki's empire had failed, Hypnos was still vulnerable to human attack. If she or another returned, they needed a reliable defense.

"Well, Mr. Olkowski," she smiled to her husband mischieviously, not realizing how much Impmon must have rubbed off on her. "It seems that we find ourselves in need of your skills as a lawyer. Think you can examine the various contracts and rules of Hypnos to find a defense against the government? Specifically, anything to keep another, outside force from taking control?"

He smiled back, "I'm sure I can find something, Mrs. Olkowski. After all, how can I fail with such a lovely assistant?"

The married couple stepped away from the window, leaving the coming stars behind to twinkle like diamonds. Both silently wondered if their children were safe, but remained focused as possible on their coming task. Worrying would not help anyone and it would be easier to remain busy. They could help Hypnos, so they would. They would do what they could and hope for the best for those they loved.

* * *

The darkness came more quickly than expected. This doesn't mean they simply lost track of time; it literally meant that it turned dark abruptly. Yamaki was startled as the transition from day into night took only a few seconds. Not that there had been any _obvious_ source for the earlier light to begin with. The digital sky lacked a sun, a moon, or any stars. Only a representation of Earth and pink beams of light decorated the sky.

"Oh, is it bedtime now, Mr. Yamaki?" asked Suzie, blinking in the darkness.

The man removed his shades carefully and glanced around. Nothing but trees, bushes, and other plant life in sight. They had yet to encounter any hostile digimon and it was making him nervous. From what he had heard and assumed, the digital world was filled with digimon who lived by the law of the jungle and he had expected danger at every turn. The lack of problems so far, other than being separated, was unnerving.

Calumon, rarely one to be bothered by anything less than a real threat (and then, only a little), laughed lightly and launched himself off his favorite perch (Yamaki's head) to fly once more. Suzie, the young girl's legs tired from walking all afternoon, was currently on the adult's back, her arms wrapped around his neck and Lopmon on _her_ back. For a man who possessed little practical experience with young children beyond his occasional interactions with the other tamers (and Calumon), he was adapting fairly well to Suzie in his opinion.

"We need to find a more secure location before we stop," he explained, somewhat winded from carrying the eight year old and the two small digimon.

"But I'm sleepy," she complained. "I want to stop. Pwetty please, with lots and lots of spwinkles on top?"

"No," he sighed.

"But I wanna stop," whimpered the girl.

The adult tamer rethought his earlier assumption that he was able to handle children. He had given her a logical explanation of why they could not stop and she responded by reasserting her desire. The older children would have accepted his reason, or at least tried to find a logical compromise, but she didn't. If she could not be reasoned with logically, he had no choice but to try his more "Calumon-proof" arguments.

"We can't stop here," he informed her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I say so," answered Yamaki, cringing that he was forced to fall back on this flimsy excuse for someone other than the tiny digimon.

The child was silent for a moment before muttering, "Okay."

"Yay!" shouted Calumon, gliding towards them once more. "I found pretty flowers. They're really nice."

"Calumon, we're not here to pick flowers," Lopmon reminded him. "We're here to find Ryo and his partner."

The tiny creature smiled, "But they're really big flowers. And they talk too."

"'Talking flowers'?" Yamaki raised his eyebrow, wondering if this was just another common feature of the digital world or if Calumon's strange imagination was getting worse.

"Floramon?" suggested the brown rabbit. "They're plant-like digimon that look like flowers and we're looking for their village. Did they have red petals?"

"Yep!" Calumon answered. "And they're coming over now."

"What?!" asked a shocked Yamaki, but the strange digimon were already arriving.

* * *

"Now, to regain my past power I need to absorb data of other digimon," DemiDevimon explained as the trio camped out in a shallow cave. "But until then, I'm too weak to defeat any but the most defenseless digimon. You two, though, have the ability to win. So you'll help me out by being the muscle while I'm the brains."

Monodramon tilted his head, still uneasy with their new companion, "You want us to kill random, innocent digimon so _you_ can benefit?"

"Of course not," the bat smiled. "I'm not cruel. I'm doing this to help. We have to stop those traitors, don't we? The ones that killed you and weakened me? Besides, I've done a little… _research_. Rather than butcher innumerable innocent digimon, I've selected a few key ones that should result in the best outcome. And these digimon are better off gone anyway."

Ryo raised an eyebrow, "So we'll only be hurting evil digimon?"

"Evil, vicious, dangerous digimon that are almost as bad as those tamers," confirmed the virus type. "First up is a jerk named 'Vilemon.' So get your rest. He's a champion after all and mean."

DemiDevimon fluttered out of the cave and up to the shadowy branches of a nearby tree, apparently to sleep. The boy and his partner were left alone together.

Ryo sighed, "Do you think we'll ever remember our pasts? Before the tamers killed us?"

"I don't know," answered the purple reptilian creature. "I'm not even sure we can trust him."

"But he was right about my D-arc and he explained why I'm not like any digimon," pointed out the human.

"Yeah, but he also said your species are monsters," argued Monodramon. "I can't believe that."

"Maybe they are," snapped Ryo. "But DemiDevimon apparently thought some of us aren't beyond help. Even after some of the tamers betrayed him and us, he still trusts us. Why can't you trust him?"

The digimon stared at his friend for a moment before answering, "I don't know. He just feels… wrong. I can't explain it. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

Sighing, the boy patted his head, "No, it's alright, Monodramon. You're usually really smart about stuff. I shouldn't have been so uptight. If you think there might be something wrong, maybe there is. We'll be careful and if we have to choose, we'll stick together. No matter what DemiDevimon says."

With a smile, the smaller creature curled against his friend. As long as they were together, it would work out in the end. Right?

* * *

"I've heard of quick transportation, but this is ridiculous," laughed the boy, leaping in and out of the connector again.

"Kazu, I really must protest…" tried his metallic partner as the human vanished and reappeared once more.

The tamer grinned, "Live a little, Guardromon. This is cool."

There were an assortment of levels that varied drastically in appearance and rules in the digital world. And the connections between them were just as unique. Some were spiral staircases or bridges. The one his digimon had found was a tall stone arch that, if you stepped through it, took them to the black-and-white, oddly crooked, empty town. Going back through returned you to the desert-y wasteland. The hat-wearing youth had been leaping back and forth for several minutes.

"I understand that you are enjoying yourself," Guardromon explained, "but night has fallen and we should find shelter before long. You need to sleep before we continue searching for our companions."

Kazu started to argue, but was interrupted by a yawn. The boy grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. He did feel a little tired and they _were_ in the digital world on a mission. They needed to keep their strength up if the pair wanted to pull off any cool heroics in the future.

"Don't act like you wouldn't appreciate a nap too, buddy," the boy teased gently. "I'm sure one of these weird, lop-sided buildings has a bed or two."

* * *

Suzie thought all the flowers digimon were really pretty and they had been nice. They lead all of them to a beautiful lake in the middle of the forest. On the banks was a small village with even more flower digimon. Lopmon and Mr. Yamaki seemed a little nervous, but Calumon was having fun. Maybe Henry was…

The young girl pulled her mind away from her absent older brother. She was a big girl now and that means she could take care of herself, right? And everything would be alright because there was a grown up with her. So there wasn't any real problem, right?

One of the pretty flower digimon, Floramon smiled at the new arrivals. Suzie smiled back and waved.

"I assume you have come seeking Ryo and Monodramon," she sighed. "I'm afraid that they are missing. We don't know where they've gone."

"Wyo's gone? Still?" asked Suzie sadly.

While he wasn't her brother, she liked the older boy and wanted him back. And everyone said that they would find him soon, but they still couldn't find him. She wanted both Ryo and Henry back soon. She and Lopmon would find them.

Floramon nodded slowly, "Come inside and I'll try to explain better."

* * *

**The scenes kept changing and nothing made sense…**

…**He was standing beside a dark, powerful creature. He could feel the fury from the digimon. **_**Cyberdramon**_**, his mind identified. The boy held out his blue D-arc, creating a whip of light…**

…**Figures, some similar in shape to Ryo, surrounded him. Humans. Ryo smiled at one with red-hair standing with a yellow fox-like digimon. Just as before, a name appeared at the girl's appearance. Two names, really. **_**Rika**_** and **_**Wildcat**_**. The others seemed familiar as well, but before he could recall their names…**

…**A different place. The sky was blue and there was a yellow circle giving off light. Tall, rectangular buildings, like the buildings of the village, only larger, reached upwards. Closer to the ground, strange contraptions with black wheels rolled by. Humans seemed to be inside these **_**cars**_**. Is this the human world? But…**

…**More really tall buildings surrounded him, but some kind of pink blobby substance is covering them. The stuff seems dangerous. **_**D-reaper,**_** his mind whispered. Other beings were nearby. A large green one, a yellow one holding a staff, and a red one with a cape that looks like a knight. Then Ryo noticed he wasn't even in his own body…**

…**A fainter, fuzzier image. Something large and powerful is before him. An enemy. One that keeps returning and only he can stop. Unlike the other strange places, this time, the boy couldn't even make out where he was or what his enemy was. It was more of a feeling than anything. He just knew that there was no escape…**

…**Ryo was in the strange/familiar body again. **_**Justimon**_**. Smaller shapes, some digimon and some human, lay helpless. A dark, red-eyed creature with too much power stared at a girl with a brown and pink digimon. Ryo was already hurt, but know he has to help her…**

…**He was looking at a boy. The boy was wearing yellow goggles and was standing beside a dinosaur-like digimon. Ryo knows these two, but can't remember how. But he has known another boy who had goggles and a dinosaur, but that was even longer ago. Maybe it never even happened…**

…**The dark presence, the one he knows and doesn't know, is back again. It always comes back. Every time, it is stronger and worse than before, but now he can't recall him at all. No face, no name, nothing except a feeling. But Ryo watches as the mystery something, the **_**thousand year monster,**_** becomes Monodramon and Monodramon becomes it. The monster becomes his friend and his friend becomes the monster. When it stops, he doesn't know who it is that he sees…**

Ryo shot up, awakening instantly. It is still night in the digital world. Monodramon is still curled up at his side. The strange, disconnected fragments of his dream float through his mind even as his breathing calms.

Were they just dreams that had been odder than usual? Or were they memories of his life before? Some were easier to recall, but those dealing with the _thousand year monster_ were already fading away. For once, the boy had to ask, "Who am I?"

**What do you think? Good way to reference Milleniummon? I hope you liked it and that you keep reading. Thanks!**


	15. The Cards We're Dealt

**The first day of "Fate" is coming to an end. Needless to say it has been a long day for all involved. And it isn't going to get any easier. That being said, it has been requested by** **Kirai-Ninja ****that there be more of an exchange of information between the Digidestined and tamers. I'd be glad to oblige, but keep in mind I can't have too much of that too soon. They need to learn to work together (some will be better at that than others…). I will bring in a few interesting insights I have on the difference between a digidestined and a tamer. There is a difference (other than one is for seasons 01/02 and the other is for season 03).**

**Anyways, let's get back to the story. **

"What are you doing?" inquired Kari.

Most of the group had already left. Takato, Henry, and their respective partners had left with the Digidestined of Knowledge, though the goggle-wearing youth had attempted one last time to remain. Davis and DemiVeemon got out of the household, and away from Rika, as quickly as possible. T.K. and Patamon's exit was calm by comparison, lacking any flinching that Davis exhibited when he met the red-head's gaze. Surprisingly, Destiny agreed to stay at Ken's home. She claimed she wished to speak with him anyway.

Now, Tai and Agumon were attempting to find enough blankets for the remainder of the tamers. Miko, the family cat, finally reappeared when the majority of the strangers vanished. The feline remained wary though. Gatomon was now on the balcony, keeping her fellow champion company.

What held the Digidestined of Light's attention, however, were the tamers. Rika had pulled out a deck of cards. She seemed at first to be playing some form of solitaire, but Kari didn't see a single spade or diamond. After a moment, she realized the red-head was sorting them. Jeri also pulled out a deck, but didn't start sorting. She just looked at them before smiling.

When Kari asked what they were doing, the brown-haired tamer shrugged, "Checking to see what cards we brought. We didn't know we were coming, so we don't have everything."

"'Cards'?" the digidestined asked curiously.

"Digimon cards," Mako explained. "Rika and Jeri have been teaching us how they work and stuff."

Ai nodded, "But they only let us use a few right now. Rika said that it's sometimes better to have no cards than to use the wrong one."

"So we only have a few easy ones," continued the young boy. "But Rika and Jeri have really cool ones. But they're older and have used them more."

"But they're teaching us," reminded his sister.

"I think you two have succeeded in completely confusing her," remarked Rika. "Better let the expert try."

Rika pulled out a card and held it up. Kari recognized it with a shock. On it was an image of Agumon. His name, attacks, and what looked like statistics decorated the surface as well.

"This is a digimon card," she explained. "In addition to the television show, there is a card game and a variety of video games. My specialty, though, is the cards. Even before I met Renamon, I was a natural." The red-haired girl's tone shifted to a bragging one. "No one could hold a Candlemon to my skills. I only lost to…" She paused, looking distant, before continuing her tutorial. "Anyway, these cards are even more important now."

Renamon stepped away from the wall she'd been leaning against. "I'll try to keep the demonstration small, Rika."

The tamer nodded before holding up a white object with a blue ring around the screen. "This is a D-arc. It's like one of your digivices or D-3 or whatever you call them. Only, ours has a few more tricks to it."

Kari, unsure of where this was going, simply watched as Rika slid the card through a slit on the D-arc.

"Digi-modify!" she announced. "Agumon's Pepper Breath Activate!"

Then, Renamon called out "Pepper Breath!" and fired a small flame from her mouth, lighting a candle on the nearby table.

"How…?" began the Digidestined of Light, wondering how this fox-like digion could use an attack her brother's digimon possessed, but realized what had occurred. "The card! You used Agumon's card and then she could use his abilities."

"It gives you a real edge in battle, being able to change you options," nodded Rika. "And it's not just attacks. Strength, speed, stamina, or even wings can be added with the right cards."

"That's amazing," Kari remarked. "If you had enough cards, then…"

"It's not just the number or variety of cards," Jeri explained. "That's an important lesson for all of us. If you try to use a card at the wrong time, you can make things worse."

"So, until the twins have the experience to be able to handle a larger variety," the red-head declared, "they're sticking with the basics. The last thing Impmon needs is to be turned to stone unexpectantly."

"Didn't you say that one of the boys did that to their partner?" asked Jeri.

Kari smiled to herself. Whether they were called digidestined or tamers, this group reminded her of how her friends were. They seemed carefree and innocent, but every single person knew that there were risks. The weight of the worlds always seemed to rest on the shoulders of the young. But she, her friends, and even these new children acted like the responsibility never bothered them.

"Yes, they did," laughed Rika. "It took Goggle-head forever to learn to choose his cards carefully and not just use whatever he had in his hand."

Mako boasted, "We won't do that. Rika and Jeri are teaching us. And Rika's the best card player ever."

"Sounds like you have a fan," remarked Tai as he returned with a stack of blankets. A pile of pillows followed, Kari identifying as Agumon underneath the cushions. He tossed his load on the couch. "Here. Mom's checking to see if we have any more."

"Speaking of fans, you have quite a few, Tai," the red-head smirked. "Takato is the only one here, but his friends, Kazu and Kenta, would kill to see you too. Besides," she glanced at Mako, "the kid's right. I _am_ the best and I have the title to prove it."

"Are Kazu and Kenta digides… tamers too?" asked Agumon. As the tamers and Renamon nodded, the orange digion blinked, "How many are there of you guys?"

"Well, you've met about half of us," Jeri explained. "Kazu is partnered with Guardromon and Kenta with MarineAngemon. Henry's little sister's digimon is Lopmon. And Calumon is partnered with Mr. Yamaki."

"_Mr._Yamaki?"

"He's a grown up," smiled Ai. "He acts really serious, but Calumon's fun."

Her brother added, "Even if Impmon calls him 'an annoying creampuff'."

"An adult tamer?" asked a stunned Kari. "That seems so… odd. Oikawa technically had a partner for years, but he didn't met him until… Still, it's not that common."

"And I've never heard of Calumon before," added Agumon.

Renamon nodded, "I doubt you have. Calumon was the physical manifestation of the power of digivolution. Now, he is a regular digimon, more or less."

Tai's face gained an expression of shock and awe. "And now you've gone completely weird. Not that you weren't already, with the whole alternate reality thing. But a digimon as the 'power of digivolution'? How many more surprises do you have?"

"If you're a tamer… or a digidestined," Rika remarked, "you should know that surprises are a part of your everyday life."

Kari narrowed her eyes, "I was wondering… Why do you call yourself tamers rather than digidestined? I mean, you know the term in your reality. Is there a reason?"

"Well, I personally wouldn't want to refer to myself as something off a kid's show," the red-head explained. "No offense. Another thing, I think our… relationship with our digimon is different. It has a different basis."

"What do you mean?" asked Agumon.

Rika sighed, "While I'm not an expert of the show, didn't you your partners get matched up by that Gennai guy? Pretty much, the digimon were selected, destined, to go with specific kids. You are the Digidestined, picked to save the world because you saw monsters when you were younger and an old guy decided 'you'll do'. Us, on the other hand," she smiled back at Renamon, "didn't have it that simple."

"When was it simple?" asked Gatomon, being drawn from her conversation with Leomon. "Try being around Myotismon for most of your early life."

"But once you find your partner, you're good to go," she continued. "Because you're made for each other. Other than maybe Dino-boy and Goggles, our partnerships were more random. We weren't instantly guaranteed to get along or to be partners instantly. Except for a few of us, most of the tamers knew their digimon for a while before they became partners. Like Jeri and Leomon."

"And some relationships were easier than others," smiled Jeri. "Rika and Renamon weren't always the perfect team they are now, according to the others."

"My point is," Rika gave the brown-haired tamer a look of aggravation, "our partnerships aren't clear-cut or instantaneous. And while the term 'digidestined' sounds pompous, claiming to be chosen by destiny, 'tamer' isn't exactly right either. That sounds like we domesticate some wild, mindless creatures. And while some digimon act like animals, many don't. It's an equal partnership, with both groups benefiting."

The yellow rookie nodded, "No matter what you decide to call yourself, digidestined or tamer, what you do is more important. From what I have seen, you are the same as us in that you try to do what you believe to be right."

"Because we're the good guys," declared Mako.

Tai smiled at the child's statement before getting distracted. "Who lit the candle?"

* * *

Destiny studied the dark-haired boy whose home she was in. Because of her life and duty, she possessed limited experience with social interactions other than her short-lived friendship with the tamers (if you call one night of exchanging stories before they started hating her because of what the prophecies were doing to them as a 'friendship'). She was most likely to speak to individuals in a wise and all-knowing fashion that kept them at a distance. Ken was little better when it came to dealing with people. He could handle being with the digidestined, though he had reason enough to be ill at ease in their company, but strangers were something different.

"It's so nice to meet another of Ken's friends," remarked Mrs. Ichijouji, placing a pillow and blanket on the couch. "And you're from out of town?"

"Yes, and my usual accommodations are available to me," the girl nodded, thinking of her temple-like structure in the digital world. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home."

"It's no trouble at all, dear. And friends of Ken's is always welcome. He must miss that Yolei girl while she's out of town, so it's nice to that he still has company," she assured, patting her shoulder before leaving the two children in the living world with a drowsing Minomon.

"You are still haunted by the past, aren't you?" Destiny observed suddenly.

Ken blinked, startled by her abruptness. He looked down then, trying not to allow ghosts of his former crimes to invade his mind. The dark-haired girl smiled understandingly.

"Even if everyone, even those hurt the worse by your crimes, forgives you and even if you try to move on and make up for your mistakes, you still doubt," the prophetess continued. "You doubt that you will ever earn redemption, if you deserve it, and you fear that you'll sink back into the darkness of your past. You know the pain you caused as the Digimon Emperor. You remember the horror of losing your partner as he risked everything to save you from that darkness. You even wonder if your friend, the one you faced true darkness and power with and became corrupted to protect him, is dead like others believe and if it is your fault. All these ghosts of your past haunt you yet."

"Please…" started the Digidestined of Kindness, but she interrupted.

"I cannot tell you all, but know that what has happened is what was needed. Any change that you wish you could make, all those 'what if's' you want to know, exist somewhere in the universes. And many are even worse. Accept your mistakes, as hard as it may be, and take comfort in that you escaped the darkness planted in your heart before it was too late."

The boy sighed, "I hope that all of my… past stays in the past, but you are right. It's hard to forgive myself and harder still to forget that I could become that way again."

"Stop that. You are not the only being to fall into darkness for a time, as you will learn. And though the shadows of your past will remain, they will serve to remind you of what dangers lurk in that darkness and that it can tempt even the kindest heart. Remember your past without being bound to it, Ken. I believe you've been told this before by your friends."

"What do you mean 'as you'll learn'? Did one of the tamers…?"

"Lose their way?" completed Destiny. "When the time comes, you'll see one who suffers as you do. Go then and speak with your fellow lost soul. It is easier to solve other's problems than your own, so help him and thus help yourself. Both of you can accept your pasts and resolve to guard against your futures, if you chose."

"'Him'?"

She smiled, "You'll see. On the final matter, your lost friend. Don't keep looking for him here or in the digital world you know. He will never again be here. He is and always will be tied tightly in the web of fate. He's always walked a different path than others because he is connected to a powerful entity, but he is now further from this world than ever before. Take comfort in the knowledge that you'll see him again and he is happy." Noticing the expression of the digidestined, she grinned. "And yes, I sound like a fortune cookie. I've been told that before. Talking in riddles is a job requirement."

"I'll say. It's easier to follow Davis' logic than what you to tell me," sighed the boy. "You could be saying he's dead or…"

"Don't worry too much about it. When the time comes, you'll understand everything I've said." She picked up the sleeping Minomon, taking care not to wake the in-training digimon, and handed him to Ken. "Take care of your friend. He cares for you and would do anything for you. But you nearly lost him in the past. And the cruelest thing to suffer is the loss of a partner. I know what it can do to a person; I've seen the damage. Trouble is coming, I know that much, and I don't want any more deaths to break another partnership."

Holding the insectoid form of his resting friend, the digidestined asked, "Do you foresee any? I thought you said you deal with prophecies and destiny."

"That's a normal misconception. Destiny and prophecies hold no guarantees. Free will still exists. Part of the reason, not all of it, that Rika hates me is because she sees me as a threat to her control of her life. She sees the idea of fate as meaning she has no true free will. If that were true, I'd have no purpose. All a prophecy is, truly, is the knowledge of cause and effect needed for the best out-come," Destiny explained.

"Rika reminds me of Yolei," smiled Ken. "Especially her reaction to Davis."

"And this prophecy is… incomplete," continued the girl. "As more is revealed, I'll let you know. Until then, tomorrow promises to be interesting. Sleep well, Digidestined of Kindness."

He nodded, "Good night, Destiny."

* * *

"I'm still a little confused on the difference between a 'digidestined' and a 'tamer'," admitted Izzy, unaware a similar conversation had just occurred in the Kamiya household. "You explained that the partnership is more casual, arising by circumstance rather than being chosen. But you also say that these creatures called 'DigiGnomes' were involved, as well as 'blue cards'."

Takato and Guilmon lay curled up on a futon already, both worn out by the excitement of the day. Terriermon and Tentomon had remained awake for a time while their respective humans talked. In time, as the pair exchanged more and more information, the digimon lost interest in the various topics and fell asleep. Now, Henry and Izzy were the only ones awake. The pair sat near the laptop, its glowing screen providing the only illumination.

Henry sighed, "Let's put it this way. Would any of the humans or digimon of a partnership try to sever ties to their partner? Not because they had to or to try and protect their friend, but because they didn't want to be partners anymore?"

The Digidestined of Knowledge shook his head slowly, "No, none of them would ever do that. You can't break that bond. We're made for each other."

"You can't break the bond, but you aren't guaranteed an easy partnership in our cases," explained the tamer. "We've had at least two cases where they've tried to go their separate ways. In one case, the partners remained apart for months to the extent we didn't even know that they were partners. In the end, it all worked out though."

"I see…," Izzy remarked. "Oh, I was checking on some of your digimon and…"

"Let me guess: Guilmon?" grinned the dark-haired boy.

The reddish-brown headed youth nodded, "I have nothing on him. And that bothers me."

"You can't find anything on Guilmon because he's one of a kind. Takato created him. He imagined Guilmon and the DigiGnomes made him real with a blue card," explained Henry.

"Prodigious! That's incredible. Willis attempted to create a digimon artificially on the internet, but that became infected by a virus and turned into Diaboromon. It wasn't good for anyone involved. But I think it's finally gone for good," commented the older boy. "So, Guilmon is Takato's creation with the help of the DigiGnomes. What exactly is a DigiGnome?"

"…The simplest explanation for them is that they're... wish granters," sighed the tamer. "They have incredible power and they essentially grant wishes. They're just part of our digital world and fairly mysterious."

"'Wish granters'? How… odd of a concept. But the digital world does seem to be partially based on the hopes, dreams, and imaginings of humans," Izzy remarked. "I guess that beings that live to make dreams a reality make sense."

"Our digital world is radically different than the one you know, the one portrayed on the show. Ours is harsher, more savage, and less Earth-like. In addition to the presence of the DigiGnomes, the digital world has oddities like data streams, different levels with extremely different terrain, and the whole 'loading digimon's data' practice."

Izzy narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean 'loading digimon's data'?"

"A barbaric practice that was how other digimon gained power. In our digital world, a digimon could be destroyed and stay destroyed if a digimon absorbed its data into their body for extra power. Death for them could be permanent if things happen the wrong way."

The pair sat in silence for a while. They just looked at their sleeping partners. Izzy considered the idea of digimon actually dying permanent deaths and shivered. Patamon would have been lost long ago, along with Ken's partner. Henry wasn't kidding about the harsher world. It sounded terrifyingly dangerous.

* * *

The interior of the Hairball's home was dark by the time he made it back. On the balcony, Leomon slept. The champion was covered by a large blanket, doubtlessly at Jeri's insistence. The kind-hearted girl would have worried about her partner being cold, even if it was a warm summer night.

Impmon landed quietly beside the leonine digimon, trying not to awaken him. The rookie rubbed his arm. Most of the numbness was gone by now, but it was still weird feeling. Whatever was in the building was bad news. Still, he wasn't dead. That was always a plus.

He eased the sliding door wider and crept inside. Rika and Jeri were on the floor, cocooned in blankets. Jeri lay near the balcony and her partner, and smiled softly in her sleep. Rika was across the room, her pillow slightly squashed from pounding. Even unconscious, she was violent. Leaning against the wall was Renamon, her ear twitching occasionally. Doubtless the yellow fox would awaken any minute and ask questions. She had a knack for that sort of thing, telling when he was up to something or had something on his mind.

On the couch, his twins were curled up. Impmon felt a small grin on his face. They didn't have any pajamas (due to their abrupt departure), so someone had dug up a couple of oversized t-shirts. Now, the pair slept calmly on the sofa. He carefully tugged the blanket out of Mako's grasp and covered Ai better. The boy was always a blanket hog. The digimon tucked the pair in properly without disturbing his tamers. The girl still wore the D-arc around her neck and even hugged it to her body like a stuffed animal.

The virus type grabbed the blanket someone had left for him and wrapped himself up. He leaned against the couch and dozed off. He never noticed a smile from a certain yellow digimon.

**I hope you like it. I think that it is logical that Rika and Jeri would teach the twins how to use cards (and to limit which cards they are allowed to use). Rika is the Digimon Queen and Jeri is patient enough to make a good teacher. I know that the pace has been kind of slow lately, but the next chapter will have a fight in it. I promise. Please leave a review. I love feedback.**


	16. Vile Creature and Coming Trouble

**I promised a fight and I will fulfill that promise. I hope to reawaken some of the Digimon King's old skills. After all, this boy, the Legendary Tamer, should demonstrate why he is the only one to beat Rika. He may not have his memories, but some things come naturally to people. Besides, he is already beginning to remember some of his past (though the memories dealing with Milleniummon and his "old friends" will be harder to recall for him and Monodramon than those that occurred afterwards). I predict by the rate that this story is going so far, it will be longer (and hopefully better) than "Destiny" was. Not that I didn't like that story, but I think that my writing has improved since then. Now, on to Ryo!**

"Okay, that's Vilemon," indicated DemiDevimon through the undergrowth. "All you need to do is beat him."

"Any suggestions on how?" growled Monodramon, eyeing his opponent warily. "You said it's a champion."

The creature was currently drowsing on a boulder in the shade of the forest. His appearance certainly matched his name. His body was covered in charcoal fur with yellow claws. Long fangs jutted out of his mouth. Wings attached to his back, but seemed too small to support the diminuative creature. On top of his head was spiky red hair and a patch of white fur decorated his chest. Faint scar marks ran across his eyelids. He ended up looking like a mixture between a vampire bat and a monkey.

DemiDevimon rolled his eyes and then addressed the human, "Look, do you have a deck of cards or anything like that in your pockets? If you do, you can use those to help your friend, Ryo. Go ahead, kid, and check."

The tamer knew what the bat was talking about, having found the cards when he was younger. He didn't know why he possessed them at the time, any more than he understood the reason he owned a D-arc before he met DemiDevimon, but Ryo still kept them. He pulled out the deck and showed the virus type.

"If you slide a card through your D-arc, it does different things," explained the bat. "Monodramon can gain power or speed or really good aim or other stuff."

"How do you know that?" asked the boy.

He answered, "I've seen them be used before." The small rookie shuddered as he remembered the hat-wearing boy use his "Seek and Destroy" card to find the right target. "Just be careful. I don't want you dead again. Can't help anyone from beyond the grave."

The boy flipped through the cards, not wondering why he could apparently read the writing, and selected one. "I think this should work. Ready?"

"Whenever you are, Ryo," nodded Monodramon.

The vaccine type ran towards the sleeping creature. As the reptilian digimon drew near, his partner slashed the card.

"Digi-Modify! Power Activate!"

The purple creature leapt into the air and came down on Vilemon, shouting, "Beat Knuckle!"

The champion cried out in surprise, pain, and anger as the boulder he was on cracked with the force. Vilemon struggled upright after the blow, his eyes glaring around. His pupils were sky-blue, but the surrounding area that should have been white in color was bright red. The virus type appeared to be extremely ticked off.

"Alright, whoever interrupted my nap is going to pay," he growled. His oddly colored eyes locked on Monodramon. "You? Do you have a death wish?"

"Not really, shrimp," grinned the rookie, enjoying the flood of power the card had provided.

Vilemon's expression morphed to one of pure fury, "Don't call me 'shrimp'! Demon Darts!"

Ryo selected another card, moving on instinct and forgotten memories rather than conscious thought. "Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!"

In addition to his left over power, Monodramon gained enough speed to dodge the darts that the champion fired. Continuing, the rookie became essentially a battering ram and slammed the virus type with his enhanced strength and velocity. Disoriented by the blow, Vilemon didn't see the next attack either.

"Cracking Bite!"

Screaming at the pain and indignity of being in the reptile's mouth, he retaliated with a cry of "Demon Scratch!"

Startled by the assault, the yellow claws having raked across his muzzle, Monodramon spat the champion out. The purple being growled softly at the angry virus. While the rookie possessed type advantage, Vilemon was a level stronger. The smart thing would have been to avoid the battle in the first place. But DemiDevimon wanted this digimon destroyed and Ryo wanted to help. Thus, the purple creature would have to win. Besides, his tamer was giving him a real advantage.

And Vilemon's temper was the guy's disadvantage.

"You're such a tiny problem," teased the vaccine. "I'm surprised no one's dealt with a pest like you already."

"Stop calling me 'tiny'!" the champion shouted, flinging himself at the vaccine.

Ryo called, "Digi-Modify! Angemon's Fist of Fate Activate!"

Vilemon didn't even have time to react as an champion angel attack consumed him. As he vanished, DemiDevimon flew over and began to absorb the data.

"Great work, guys," complimented the bat-like digimon. "I'm impressed. One down, four more to go. Next up is a real charmer called LadyDevimon. We'll have to go to another level of the digital world to find her." His yellow eyes seem to glint dangerously. "But I have faith in your skills. We'll regain my power and avenge your deaths soon."

* * *

Mitsuo Yamaki leaned against one of the buildings that made up the village and stared at the smooth lake surface. The interior of the building was too short for his comfort, but the ceilings were made with Floramon's height in mind rather than a grown man. It only made sense that he was too tall for them. Still, the flowery digimon were hospitable hosts, offering food and a place to stay for the weary travelers. Strangely, he, Suzie, nor the digimon were hungry before the food was offered. Lopmon explained that you ate in the digital world because you _want_ to, not because you need to. And the brown rabbit had been correct so far, so he trusted she was right.

He grinned softly to himself. Trusting a digimon. The idea once was completely beyond his ability to even contemplate as a possibility for him. He used to have trouble accepting them as actual living beings. Now, he took advice from one, was partnered with another one, and currently stood in a village of digimon without (much) concern all because a girl talking about "prophecies' and "destiny" told him to. When did he change so far? When she gave him a D-arc? When he agreed to give the tamers better control when dealing with digimon, even knowing that he would need to hide this from his superiors and try to minimize the knowledge of their power within Hypnos? Not that the rumors didn't spread anyway, but he still maintained they were only "specialists" that he took advantage of, just as the Monster Makers were expert advisors in the technological part. He was permitted to make use of specialists in a specific field in order to accomplish a goal. Until he could develop a better idea, like suggesting they join Hypnos officially as the aged. Maybe he changed when the D-reaper arrived and he was forced to stand aside. Or maybe his views began to alter when he was fired. When did he start to change?

"Yay!" squealed Calumon, gliding by the man's head. "Swimming! Swimming! Splash!"

The adult tamer shook his head as the hyper creature dropped into the lake. Did he never get tired of being overly happy? Even when everything goes wrong, the tiny white digimon kept right on going. After all, they were in the digital world and the others were gone, and Calumon was still excited. He didn't even seem worried that they had no way to find Ryo.

"**Please explain now," frowned Yamaki. "We were told that Ryo Akiyama and his partner, Monodramon, were here. Start at the beginning, if you would."**

**Floramon sighed, "A short time ago, a digi-egg was left in my possession by a hooded stranger. She asked me to care for the digi-egg and those who came from it. Two beings emerged in time from inside. One was a digimon, Ketomon, and the other was a human. I guarded and helped raise the pair as requested. I never told them where they came from nor that Ryo was human; they don't remember their past anyway."**

"**You're Wyo and Monodwamon's mommy," suggested Suzie.**

"**I supposed I did fulfill that role," the digimon agreed slowly. "I, and the rest of the village, treated them as we would any other young digimon. We knew someone would come for them someday, so we were trying to keep them safe and well until them."**

"**You claim neither remember their past,' the adult tamer remarked.**

**Lopmon explained, "Often when a digimon is reborn as a digi-egg, they might lose some or all of their memories. They may later regain some memories or they could be gone forever. A digimon can hatch from a digi-egg and essentially be a new digimon than their previous life."**

"**They don't wemember?" asked Suzie. "They don't wemember me?"**

**Floramon shook her head, "I'm sorry, they don't. But as time passed, they grew more adventurous and curious. Now, they've wandered off into the forest and we can't find them. You are the only ones we've located so far."**

"**I see," sighed the blond man heavily. "So we have no way to locate him. On the one hand, we can search the forest blindly and hope to locate the boy. On the other, we could attempt Lopmon's idea of seeking assistance from the Digimon Sovereign in finding them and hope that he is feeling benevolent towards humanity. Or we could remain here and wait for the other tamers to rejoin us. In addition, it is possible that Ryo and Monodramon could return here. I believe that, for now, the smartest decision would be to remain. If it is alright, Floramon."**

"**Of course," she assured. You are welcome for as long as you wish to remain. Come inside. There is food if you would like some."**

"**Goodie!" laughed Calumon. "Food! New friends and yummy food!"**

"Excuse me, sir, but does this belong to you?" an amused voice asked, pulling the man's attention away from his thoughts.

A large, red, fin-like structure was wrapped around a dripping wet Calumon. The red structure was attached to a serpentine green creature that rose out of the lake surface and ended in a yellow head. Blue eyes studied the man as he released the in-training digimon to Yamaki.

"Hi again," giggled Calumon. "Seadramon is fun. Do you want to come swimming too?"

"I believe I'm done with your antics for today, small one," the aquatic digimon remarked. "You and your friend," he nodded at the adult, "can try again tomorrow, maybe. Just warn me next time. It is rather startling to have someone dive right on top of you, after all."

Seadramon then slid his long body beneath the surface of the water. The only evidence left behind was a soaked Calumon still laughing about the whole event, and a surprised Yamaki, who wondered what else was hidden just out of sight.

* * *

"I think I have a battle plan," remarked Mr. Olkowski, covering a yawn with his hand. "After researching all night, I have a few ideas of how to keep Hypnos out of their direct control, at least temporarily, but it won't be easy. One problem that still exists that they'll try to take advantage of: our children."

The tired lawyer was currently addressing a smaller group than had been present the night before. Mrs. Katou and Mrs. Wong eventually left with their remaining children so that they could sleep and had not returned yet. Rumiko Nonaka presently was attempting to reschedule today's photoshoot, with mixed results. All she'd succeeded in so far was to push it back a few hours. The Matsuki pair depended on their bakery for their livelihood, so they'd returned home for to run the shop. Doubtless, one would return later during a lull in business to check in. Riley, Tally, and the Monster Makers were running off coffee, but were still present. Mrs. Shioda and Mrs. Kitagawa volunteered to call the schools about the absence of the children, Kazu's mother used to dealing with the administration.

His audience was essentially his wife, a couple of the Monster Makers currently on break, including Janyu Wong, Riley, Tally, Mr. Katou, a distracted Rumiko on a cell phone, and newly arrived Seiko Hata, who was the maternal grandmother of one of the tamers. Honestly, he should be headed for work for the day already, but he'd called in early to claim he was dealing with a family emergency (true enough) and his partners had shuffled around his workload to cover for him. Mr. Olkowski really owed them big after this.

"They'll see the children's involvement in this matter as evidence that Mr. Yamaki is unfit to make decisions regarding Hypnos," nodded Seiko. "Even if we know that Rika and the others are responsible and would continue with their actions regardless of what we say," her eyes crinkled with amusement at the thought of the willful nature of the tamers, "the idea of the younger generation taking control too soon always worries those who cannot adapt to a changing world."

He agreed, "They'll claim he had no right to allow the children to be involved. They'll say Yamaki could have and should have prevented their involvement. By allowing them to continue, and even assisting them in their 'vigilante' routine, Yamaki could be viewed as failing in his job. He is supposed to keep digimon activity under control. That includes digimon battles fought by the tamers. Hypnos is supposed to handle all digimon."

"And the only reason why the kids' partners have been left alone is because of the whole 'D-reaper incident,'" sighed Janyu. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be surprised if they would have put a tracking collar on all of them. If they were even allowed to come back at all."

"Exactly. Yamaki is really pushing his luck," explained the lawyer. "He's only been able to keep the wolves off his trail this long, from what I can tell, because of the loyalty of enough key members of his staff, the popularity of the kids with other members of Hypnos because of them saving the world, the faintness of the rumors that _are _circulating, and the fact Miss Suzuki does not make herself well-liked even to her superiors. Still, he'll need to strengthen his position if he wants to stay in charge here."

"He's risking his career just to make sure he doesn't make the same mistakes and that those with the best knowledge deal with the situation," smiled Riley. "That man never ceases to amaze."

Mr. Olkowski noticed the technician's expression soften as she considered her absent boss. The brown-haired woman obviously felt something for Yamaki beyond a normal employer-employee relationship, but the lawyer didn't know enough to tell if it was friendship… or something more.

"If we want to keep control of Hypnos out of the hands of strangers, before and after Yamaki's return, it'll take some work," he concluded. "Specifically, we'll have to make some decisions concerning our children's futures. But if we do this, we might be able to lessen a few problems. I only hope that it is the right choice."

"What do you have in mind?" asked Mr. Katou.

**Da-dah-DA! (dramatic music) I thought I'd elaborate a little on Yamaki somewhat. After all, even if he kept that idiot from ripping apart the human and digital world after he was fired and was returned to the government "good books," they still wouldn't be happy with his decision to let the kids be in charge dealing with bioemerged digimon. Thus, he would try to keep that knowledge limited as best he could. Most members of Hypnos would think they were just working for Yamaki (but are likely suspicious). Luckily, the home team has a lawyer on their side and they can hopefully find a way to keep the idiots at bay.**


	17. A Different Digital World

**Alright, the horrors of tests piling upon the poor writer are pushing me down. Way too much studying is really cutting into my creative free time. I will try to keep it going when I can. I think that trying to do this is way more fun than preparing for whatever exam I have next, but what are you going to do? I have to get good grades after all.**

**And just to remind you, I do not own Digimon or most of the characters. I did invent the following things from stories "Destiny" and "Fate" so far: Destiny, Fate, Fatemon, Miss Kirai Suzuki, the last name of the twins, Polydromon, Manipumon, Beelzemon Chaos Mode (with the help of my younger brother), Tamiko Mizutani, the first name of the twins' mother, and the story line itself. I think that's everything so far. I will end up with more added later because I have plans. Interesting plans…**

Daylight was just beginning to trickle through the windows when a shout of surprise awoke most of the people and digimon inside the Kamiya residence. Even Tai was yanked out of the depths of slumber by the sudden disturbance to the peace. The original Goggle-head scrambled out of his room, nearly tripping over an equally startled Agumon in his haste, and prepared himself for whatever threat dared to invade his home.

What he wasn't expecting to find was the red-haired tamer pinning the purple rookie to the ground by sitting on him, her arm wrapped around his neck and her knee on his back.

"And if you ever try a stunt like that with me again, I'll make you wish the D-reaper ate you," Rika continued to threaten. "This is one of the stupidest things you've ever done. I expect this type of stunt form Kazu and Kenta, but you must really have a death wish."

From underneath her, his face buried into the blanket, Impmon shouted, "Fox-face, call your crazy tamer off. Munchkins, help me out. She's squashing me."

"I believe you brought this on yourself," noted Renamon. "And your tamers have already pleaded for mercy on your regard. I believe the original plan was to tie you up with your own bandana and leave you to the mercy of a passing Ogremon. She's going easy on you."

"_This_ is going easy on me?" exclaimed the virus type as the girl finally let him up. "You try waking up because some insane human sat on you and started shouting in your ear sometime, toots."

Tai shook his head, wondering if the tamers and digidestined would survive the day, before going to assure his parents that everything was under control. ("No, there is no reason to make breakfast since everyone is having cereal. Really, Mom, you don't need to make something. Go back to bed. We're fine without wheat germ pancakes.")

* * *

By agreement, the large group slowly trickled towards Izzy's home. By the time Ken, Minomon, and Destiny (her borrowed clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them) arrived, most of the rest of the others were already present. Only Davis and DemiVeemon were still absent, likely from oversleeping. Hopefully, his sister would toss him out of bed soon. Just as was the case the night before, space was a real issue. How in the world Leomon was able to fit was anyone's guess.

"I don't suppose you can help with…?" whispered Jeri, glancing at her cramped partner and hoping the prophetess would understand her meaning.

Destiny shook her head slightly, "I know I digivolved him from baby to champion, but his more 'familiar' form is as a champion. I could no more change him from his current level than I could change Guilmon. Every digimon has a level they are most familiar and are natural to, even if that may change in time. For digimon without partners, it is usually the form they have reached naturally at that time. For those who digivolve and dedigivolve constantly, it is the one they spend most of their time as. I could return a digimon to that level since I currently don't have a partner, but not much else."

The girl smoothed out her green dress and sighed, "I understand. I just feel bad that he looks so… squashed."

"As soon as the final digidestined arrives, we'll go and he'll have plenty of room," assured the dark-haired girl. "We'll go speak with Gennai and learn why you are here."

"And how to find Fate?" prompted Jeri.

"I… don't know how directly involved he is in this situation, whatever it is," Destiny admitted. "The more I study what little I know so far, the more it seems that the main prophecy and mine are parallel rather than intertwined. Memories and the past seem to be the key in both cases."

"What do you know?" the tamer asked.

She shook her head, "Not much. I remember you and your friends. I know background information of this reality and the digidestined. I know that we have to see Gennai, but I know I have to find someone on the way."

"Who?"

"I'll know when we find him," the dark-haired girl shrugged, looking annoyed at not knowing. "I know that Kari and Ken need to bring something with them, though he will bring it anyway. Finally, I have… the feeling that the past and memories are important in both cases. Any other bits of information I have, I already told you."

The door burst open, allowing a brown-headed boy and his tiny blue friend to stumble in.

"The Hedgehog lives!" smirked Impmon. "Glad you could join us. What took you so long? Scared that Rika'll beat you up again?"

Davis glared at the purple rookie, "You did that on purpose. You knew that Rika would freak out on me. You set me up."

"Duh! And I thought the Kazu kid was slow," he remarked, rolling his eyes. "Of course I did it on purpose. Awesomeness like that doesn't happen on its own."

"She could have killed me," complained the boy. "She's worse than Yolei."

"I'll be sure to mention that to her when she gets back," T.K. smiled.

Patamon nodded, "Be sure to run fast."

"If you don't stop," Rika sighed, "things will not go well for you. Your pointless argument is wasting my time."

"Now that we're all here," interrupted Izzy, "we can open a portal on the computer."

"Don't bother, Digidestined of Knowledge," Destiny announced. "I can handle that myself. I do I do request you remain here. Keep an eye on the internet."

"How are you…? Why would I…? What am I watching for?" the youth tried to ask, but unable to decide where to start.

"I don't know what is coming yet, but something is and if there is a trace of evidence to be found, I know you will find it," explained the prophetess. "Look for anything unusual, contact others, and try to uncover the threat."

"But if you don't want to open a portal, how will…?" he tried again, but she smiled.

"Who said we wouldn't use a portal? I just said don't bother using a computer to do it."

Enjoying the look of pure confusion on the unusually knowledgeable youth, Destiny pulled out her D-arc to produce a colorful portal. The tamers had seen this display before, but the Digidestined reacted with shock to her actions.

"Prodigious!" breathed Izzy. "Do all of you possess that capability?"

"Nope, just the prophecy-girl," Terriermon smirked.

Frowning, Tai began to ask, "Wait, if she has one of your odd digivices, does that mean she's a tam…"

The dark-haired girl stopped through the portal, not wishing to hear the boy's words. She didn't want to be reminded again that her partner was absent. Someday, she'd see Fate again. Soon, if she could finish an unknown prophecy. As she arrived in the digital world, she couldn't help but smile as her cloak, worn after all this time because it was his idea, reappeared on her.

* * *

This digital world was nothing like Impmon expected. He thought that since the human world was, more or less, close to what he'd already knew, he had believed that the digital ones would be equally similar. Where Destiny's portal spat them out removed that assumption.

The biggest difference was, obviously, the sky. It looked like the same blue one that hung over the human one. Clouds and even the sun took the place of data streams and the earth. For a moment, he wondered if they were even in the digital world at all.

Next, there were the changes to the group. Hedgehog apparently experienced a costume change along the way. Somehow, he gained a jacket with flames and a fur collar. His mini partner also must have digivolved, becoming closer to Impmon in height and gaining a yellow 'V' shape on his forehead. The feline's partner, Kari, just gained a pair of long, pink gloves. The dark-haired boy with the insect was holding a catapillar-like digimon instead of the cocoon. Finally, Destiny once more wore her cloak.

"Um… I think you messed up, Destiny," commented Terriermon. "You dumped us in a giant park."

"What are you talking about?" Gatomon asked.

"This doesn't look like the digital world," the rabbit-like creature. "It's too normal."

Davis scowled, "What did you expect to see?"

"Glowing, weird lights," answered Mako, "and a funny sky."

"Pretty much what the munchkin said," Impmon agreed. "This looks like the human world."

Henry explained, "This digital world, and its inhabitants, evolved from a different source and developed in a different way. This one is closer in appearance to Earth and follows those rules more often than our digital world does. No data streams, no instant nightfall, you can actually get hungry here, and there are no different layers. And fewer digimon who will attack us on their own incentive."

"Sounds like paradise," the purple rookie rolled his eyes. "When do we ever get that lucky? I give us five minutes tops before something tries to kill us. I vote we toss the Hedgehog at whatever sharp-toothed monster attacks us. He'd make a perfect distraction. If Rika couldn't kill him, nothing will."

"Leave Davis alone," ordered the boy's partner.

"Make me, Smurf," retorted Impmon. "Not a single one of you digi-dorks in this reality have a sense of humor. Foxy takes a joke better than you. I get that the humans are acting stupider than usual in your human world, but that's no reason to be serious about _everything_."

"What do you mean…?" Takato tried to interrupt, but Davis continued the growing argument.

"Don't call Veemon a Smurf and who are you calling a digi-dork?"

"Technically, it could apply to either you or blue boy, because you are both are complete dorks. Does it really matter if I mean the digidestined or the digimon?"

"Alright, Veemon, do you want to teach him a lesson?"

Impmon grinned evilly, "Just me versus your Smurf? Piece of cake."

Before the pair of rookie's could come to blows, something decided to interrupt.

"Arrow of Artemis!"

A long, icy shard buried itself into the spot previously occupied by the arguers. Digimon and humans turned towards the source of the assault, the digital creature positioning themselves in front of their partners. Impmon, to far from the twins to do this properly, glancing back to see Jeri holding the pair's hands. Leomon loomed over the trio protectively.

Three fairly humanoid shapes emerged from the treeline. One was shirtless, his bright-red muscular chest demonstrating that he was no weakling physically. His human-like head was covered by what looked like a saber-toothed snow leopard with a red-horn. Around his wrists were a set of metal cuffs. The most distracting aspect was the flames flickering around his fists.

The next one was more bird-like in some aspects. His arms possessed long, white feathers with red tips, giving the impression of wings. A helmet in the shape of a bird's head hid his face, the same way the red dude's did. This guy had a variety of weapons on him, including a sword, a crossbow, and a shield attached to his left arm. Even weirder, he had a golden falcon resting on his right wrist.

The final strange digimon seemed to be covered in a series of white and blue crescent-moon shapes. She appeared to be wielding a double-crescent blade. On her legs seemed to be images of the moon. A thin pink ribbon nestled on her form like a scarf, adding a sense of femininity to the being.

Takato began reading a description from his D-arc, "The red guy is Marsmon, a mega vaccine type. His Corona Sanctions will burn you up, but his main strength is all unarmed combat."

"The girl is Dianamon, another mega. This data type, associated with the moon, has light and dark sides to her personality," described Rika. "Her Arrow of Artemis and Crescent Hook are a dangerous combo."

"And that leaves Valkyrimon, the mega form of Hawkmon. His Feral Sword, Lightning Arrow, and Laser Javelin, combined with his incredible speed, leave his opponents in deep trouble," concluded Henry.

Impmon shook his head, "Told you, five minutes tops, and something's here to kill us."

* * *

Tai tightened his grip on his digivice. In a matter of seconds, the group had gone from tensely waiting for the hot-heads to either move on to blows or become best friends (sort of like he and Matt did) to facing a trio of megas. The frozen projectile proved that the arrivals were aggressive. Doubtless a fight was imminent.

The original Goggle-head mentally went through the options. Agumon could digivolve to WarGreymon. Veemon and Wormmon would have to DNA digivolve to reach the mega level. Of the new guys, at least one could…

Takato held his D-arc and a holographic image appeared. The younger boy read off a description, identifying the digimon before him. The digidestined smiled at the thought of Izzy drooling over the piece of technology. The small devices could recognize digimon like the boy's laptop while being more portable and being in the form of a cool hologram like out of a sci-fi movie. Rika and Henry copied the kid's action, naming the other two digimon.

Valkyrimon stepped forward, small wings and silvery straps attached to his metallic sandals, "Humans, you are not welcome here. You have one chance to return to your world unharmed. We will not allow you to ruin our world and destroy us with your presence."

"What are you talking about?" demanded an insulted Tai. "Me and my friends have been saving the worlds for the last four years or so."

"And if you say the words 'Digimon Emperor,' I would like to point out the large number of digimon that do more damage," T.K. added. "The Dark Masters did far more."

Marsmon shook his head, "He was only the tip of the iceberg of what your kind is bringing. You are a dangerous race that cannot co-exist with even your own species. If you remain, we will destroy you." He glanced at a furious Agumon, "Your poor, misguided digimon are welcome to remain if they renounce their foolish bond to the humans."

"You can't be serious," growled Terriermon. "It's the Devas all over again, only mega-style. And not enough room for MegaGargomon here."

Rika stepped forward, "Takato, feel like showing off to your hero? Sakuyamon and Gallantmon with Rapidmon for back-up?"

"Count me in," grinned Impmon. "I feel like beating someone up."

"We're helping too," Ai declared, her and her brother running over to the purple being.

"No way," he frowned. "I'll handle it myself, munchkin."

"Please," begged Mako. "Everyone else helps all the time and we want to. The more help you have, the better."

Wondering what the pair meant exactly, Tai saw the virus type sigh slowly, "Fine, but I don't like you two kids being involved."

"Leave this to us," Rika instructed the digidestined. "We've dealt with anti-human losers before."

With that, she pulled out her D-ac and grinned Renamon. Takato held his out and Ai held their purple one so her brother could touch it.

"Renamon Biomerge to… Sakuyamon!"

"Guilmon Biomerge to… Gallantmon!"

"Impmon Biomerge to… Fatemon!"

As the three digimon (and their respective humans) were swallowed up by light, Henry held a card up and closed his eyes. The small rectangle shifted to a shade of blue. The tamer then slid it through the green-ringed D-arc.

"Digi-Modify! Matrix Digivolution Activate!"

"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon! Gargomon Matrix digivolve to… Rapidmon!"

As the light from the various changes faded, four digimon stared at the enemy. After the whole Willis, Terriermon, and Lopmon (now rejoined with the other two) event in America, Tai had borrowed Izzy's laptop to learn about them. This Rapidmon was different. He possessed green armor instead of the gold one brought on by the Digi-egg of Destiny. Other than a few other cosmetic changes, he looked like the picture.

In addition to Rapidmon, a red-caped knight in shining armor, a golden fox shaman, and a sword-wielding version of Beelzemon replaced the others. That wasn't extremely unusual, considering all the things Tai had experienced. What was concerning to the boy was four tamers were no longer present.

"I assume that you shall not be going back where you belong," sighed Dianamon. "You have humans choose to pollute this world with your presence and you digimon remain slaves to them."

"At least it should be an interesting fight," grinned Marsmon.

The golden mega shifted her staff in her hands. A tiny smile appeared below her mask.

"We call that one," she claimed, her voice a shocking mix of Renamon and Rika.

"And we'll take Valkyrimon," nodded the knight, his words sounding like Takato and Guilmon.

"So we're dealing with the girl," Impmon's voice acknowledged from the final mega. "Try not to get jealous, Foxy." A childish voice, the kid Mako, added from the same digimon, "But girls are icky, Impmon."

"How…?" began Kari, but Gatomon interrupted.

"I think they DNA digivolved, but with their humans. I don't know how that's possible, but that's what it sounds like."

Tai could just stare as the battle began, wondering what the next surprise would be.

**Yes! Fight scene coming up. And that will take a little work. But it will be worth it to get some action going again. I know what I am doing and where this story is going, but getting there is a slow process if I want to do it right.**

**Now, a little observation about digivolution I've noticed. When going from rookie to champion, all it takes (regardless of whether it is season 1, 2, or 3) is a kid and a digivice. To reach the ultimate level, another power source is needed to do so. For season 1, it was the crests. Season 2 had DNA digivolution and a secondary digimon (Wormmon, Gatomon, or Patamon) provided the power to the primary digimon (Veemon, Hawkmon, or Armadillomon) to reach the ultimate. Season 3 had blue cards. Now, if they wanted to reach mega it required yet another outside power source, either a one time thing or required each time. For Agumon and Gabumon, they had the whole "arrows of hope and light" that were shot at their partners. To get Palidramon, Azulongmon gave the Digidestined one of his Digi-cores. For Seraphimon and Magnadramon, shown only in the movie, they were in that form for only a few seconds to summon the Digi-eggs of Miracles and Destiny before losing those forms, likely from the exhaustion of both summoning the Digi-eggs and not having an outside power source to aid in digivolution. And, of course, season 3 had Biomerging with humans to provide the extra power (and Dobermon to provide an extra donation of data to allow the main three to Biomerge in the human world. Justimon could because Ryo spent so much time in the digital world anyway, that there was enough data to him. And for why I allowed Kazu, Kenta, and Suzie to do so… well, why else do you think Justimon died? He was fulfilling the same role as Dobermon and Calumon helped finish it. Not all his data, obviously, was used to Biomerge them or else they couldn't have come back. Sorry, babbling...). And in the case of Beelzemon reaching mega, he received that power from the Digimon Sovereign. **

**So there are my observations on digivolution. Just felt like going through them real quick. I'll update as soon as I can. School just is slowing me down. But if you have questions, comments, predictions, or ideas, let me know. Thanks.**


	18. Fighting Spirit

**Man, tests are brutally annoying. They cramp my creative style, all this studying. I only hope that I handled the fight scene well. There is a lot happening quickly, so it switches view often and overlaps in parts. As always, fight scenes are generally my weaker part, but I've been working on this when I could. This, hopefully, will be a fun chapter.**

**On a note about gender, I never liked the idea that digimon supposedly don't have one. Renamon says at one point in the show that digimon don't have genders, but that seems a little odd when you see Sakuyamon or Beelzemon, who obviously are female and male respectively in appearance and voices. I subscribe to the interpretation that they digimon have genders, in that their personality, voices, and general appearance can fall under a specific gender (after all, there was Jijimon and Babamon who were represented as a married couple), but they cannot sexually reproduce (thus, Jijimon and Babamon would never have kids). Besides with names like Angewoman, there is evidence that some types of digimon are automatically a specific gender while others could be either gender, like male and female Lopmon. So, that is my interpretation. If you have a problem with that, then write your own version. Mine works for me.**

"Shield of the Just!" called Gallantmon, aiming for the white creature.

The strange mega stood still until the attack nearly reached him before displaying Valkyrimon's incredible speed and reflexes. The knight didn't even see him move. One instant, the avian digimon was in the path of the threat, and the next, he was standing beside Gallantmon. His golden falcon flew overhead, having taken flight as his master moved.

"All that armor makes you slow," remarked Valkyrimon before dodging the Biomerged mega's next attempted strike. "How did you manage to combine with that human anyway? Or a better question, why would you allow yourself to suffer this fate?"

Gallantmon tried to bring his lance into play, but the speedy data type was already gone from view. Then, he felt a force slam into his back. When he looked, Sakuyamon was climbing to her feet.

"So you like to play rough," the shaman growled at her chosen opponent. "That won't be a problem. Spirit Strike!"

In the precious few seconds that Gallantmon was distracted by his team mate, Valkyrimon announced, "Laser Javelin!"

The weapon launched at the virus type struck in the right shoulder. It would have struck his chest, but Gallantmon jerked sideways in an attempt to dodge the blow. Grunting from the impact, the knight brought his shield up in case the digimon tried again. Takato, within his mental bubble, grimaced. Not only was he facing a mega with amazing reflexes, but he was doing it in front of _Tai_. He couldn't lose just because the digimon was quick.

"Why would you betray your own kind?" Valkyrimon asked, tilting his head. "Humans are dangerous beings. They will lead to our destruction."

"Rapid Fire!" shouted Rapidmon, startling the white mega enough to actually strike him.

Gallantmon took advantage of Rapidmon't assistance to announce, "Lightning Joust!"

The avian digimon flinched at the ultimate's attack but withstood the metallic rabbit's assault. The virus' dealt real damage, however, knocking Valkyrimon flying. After sliding to a halt, he raised his head to study his attackers.

"I'm impressed," the feathered mega commented calmly. "Even if you align yourselves with such destructive creatures and become slaves to their twisted wills, you have not lost your edge."

Rapidmon rolled his eyes, "Please tell me we're not about to hear the same old 'humanity is evil' routine again. I got sick and tired of it when Zhuq's and his buddies were spouting it."

"We are only going to explain this once," growled Gallantmon. "Humans and digimon can co-exist. We're equals, not master and slave. And every time one of you tries to convince us otherwise only serves to demonstrate why we must stay together."

Valkyrimon grinned slightly in response, "Blind fools. This is for the good of all, even if you do not believe it now. Punishing Storm!"

He flung his small shield off is arm and towards the pair. As it spun, it sped up and formed a growing tornado. Unfortunately, the virus type and vaccine were pulled into it.

* * *

Marsmon looked slightly disappointed, "A female? Where is the challenge in battling such an opponent? The knight or the winged warrior would be better." He glanced at where Leomon and the others waited uneasily in reserve. "Even the champion appears to be a far more worthy opponent."

"That sounds fairly sexist considering your ally, Dianamon, is also a girl," growled Rika from within her Biomerged form.

"She is a complicated individual who excels at physical combat and mental attacks. Though she is of the more delicate gender, her appearance and abilities demonstrate her combative ability exceeds that generally gifted to females," he explained coolly. "You may wear armor, but your chosen weapon is a _stick_."

Sakuyamon pointed out, "And yet you are unarmed. Do not underestimate us because of our appearance."

"And do not assume that because I carry no blade upon my person," he replied, "that I am weaponless. My body is my weapon."

The muscular mega then performed a roundhouse kick, catching Sakuyamon in the face. He followed through with a hard punch to her stomach. The twin blows caught the golden-yellow fox unprepared and the force flung her into Gallantmon. Frustrated that she'd been hit so easily, she pulled herself upright and glared beneath her mask.

"So you like to play rough," she growled. "That won't be a problem. Spirit Strike!"

Four colorful fox-like spirits raced towards Marsmon, but he began back-handing them with apparent indifference. His arrogance seemed to know no bounds. In a mocking fashion, he gave a yawn after dispatching her attack.

"I thought that the only reason a digimon might align themselves with a human, to betray their own kind, would be to at least gain some power. But thus far, I've seen nothing impressive."

The fox-lady shaman smiled, "Teamwork does give power. Not just physical strength like you demonstrate, but emotional power of knowing you can depend on another to stand by you." Rika inwardly groaned as she realized that she must be hanging around Takato too much, but continued. "Friends, partners, are what give the greatest strength."

"We shall see," smirked the vaccine smugly. "Corona Sanctions!"

* * *

Spreading his midnight wings, Fatemon took the air. Inwardly, his digimon portion was wondering _why_ Mako had to ruin his remark by adding that girls were "icky." Impmon cared about his munchkins, but they were not the best at witty comments. He'd work on that as they got older. Ensuring that they didn't end up like Goggle-head (or worse, Kazu) was part of his job as their partner.

His blue-and-white armored opponent was, honestly, kind of pretty in her own way. True, she looked deadly and all you could really see of her beyond her metal protection was her blue eyes, but she still wasn't a bad looking chick. She seemed to have a thing about the moon and crescent-moon shapes. His green eyes met her sapphire ones.

"Please tell me that not all of you are as great of fools about humans," she purred. "I cannot believe that you can't be reasonable. You must realize that those organic creatures are simply trouble. Why would you lower yourself to serving such beings?"

Her voice was sympathetic and soothing, but the words made him growl. But his answer was chosen to be the pinnacle of diplomacy and sensitivity.

"Wow, you are one wacked-up chick, aren't you? First off, I don't serve anyone. Second, you were the completely insane digimon who shot the arrow-cicle and you're trying to talk 'logic' after that? Did you miss a few classes of your 'how to negotiate' course? Don't waste your time, _toots_. No one here is buying your worn out pitch about the evils of mankind."

Her blue eyes, so much like level-headed Renamon's, blinked slowly at his harsh words. She just seemed too nice and calm. Then, something changed. Her expression darkened and became hostile. Her sapphire eyes glared angrily at the virus type, hard and ruthless.

"Then die with your pathetic ideals of 'loyalty' to the murderous race of man," she snarled venomously. "Arrow of Artemis!"

The frozen projectile, plucked from her back, flew towards Fatemon with deadly accuracy. He brought his sword up to deflect her attack, knock it to the side before swinging it around for his own strike.

"Blade of Destiny!"

His glowing weapon was met by her dual-bladed tool. She reversed her grip to bring the opposite edge back towards her winged adversary. The virus jerked back to avoid the weapon.

"She's grumpy," commented Ai. "But we'll win, right?"

"Of course, munchkin. She's just another crazed creep with a mega ego," he grinned. "She doesn't stand a chance."

"Really?" Dianamon sighed sadly. "You combine your very data with those terrible beings and call me 'crazy'? You could still turn back and help your own kind. A war is coming to determine the fate of our world. Are you sure you are on the right side?"

Fatemon gave the impression of thinking. Nearby, he could see a whirlwind forming near the feather duster, Valkyrimon. Beyond that, Sakuyamon battled her chosen foe, a pillar of fire erupting near her. As for as he could tell, the fights were fairly well-matched. His opponent was a little creepy, switching between her sweet voice and her psychotically angry one. But his appearance of thought was crucial for his next move.

Inwardly, he instructed, "Munchkins, watch and learn. This is how you talk to opponents." Out-loud, he answered," Funny, I didn't think I ever claimed to be gullible. Why do you think I am, toots? Because only someone brain-less would agree to help you."

Her growl of anger and the giggles from the twins rewarded his efforts. The data type swung her crescent-bladed weapon towards his head. He parried with his sword before punching her in the face. She gave an indignified gasp as he shook his fist. Punching metal armor does not feel good.

"Vile traitor," hissed Dianamon.

The Biomerged mega shrugged, "I've been one before. And honestly, I wasn't on your side this time. How can I betray those I don't even know?"

"You shall help our cause," growled the armored beauty. "Whether you with to or not. Crescent Hook!"

* * *

"Shouldn't we help?" wondered Veemon.

Jeri, who'd been asking herself the same thing, sighed, "If something else shows up, we need to have some digimon still able to defend. But it doesn't make it easier."

"What exactly did they do? Did they actually DNA digivolve with…?" Ken began.

"Biomerging," interrupted Henry, flickering through his deck while his partner flew towards Valkyrimon. "The digimon and their partner become so close that they can join as one and fight together."

"Izzy will freak out about this. He loves analyzing the logic in the strangest things," commented Tai.

"That is so cool," smiled Davis, watching the battle waged by Gallantmon and Rapidmon. "Why didn't you…?"

Henry answered quickly, "We're too big."

Pulling a card from her own deck, Jeri watched the three separate fights uneasily. She often felt that she wasn't cut out for combat. Leomon, before they met, was a warrior. Still, she'd seen him fall in battle. She'd watch him vanish. She didn't blame Impmon anymore nor did she allow those dark days of loss to haunt her present. But she wondered if it was a sign, that the proud warrior fell while partnered with her, that her ability as a tamer to help in a fight was limited. One Biomergence and the battle with Polydromon seemed to suggest she was qualified to stand by Leomon's side. But she found herself on the sidelines once more. Maybe she wasn't really a fighter, lion heart or not. Maybe she wasn't that strong in the end.

She studied the image on the rectangle: Taomon. If anything tried to harm the group, the tamer would activate the card and Leomon would raise a shield. She may not be combative, but she could protect. Leomon may be a warrior, but she made a better guardian.

* * *

A tornado is bad. Flames splitting the sky, courtesy of Marsmon, is also bad. Having both at the same time is extremely bad. Together, a flaming whirlwind could lay waste to the landscape and those in the surrounding area. Unless, of course, a certain shaman prevented the fire to do anything. Rather than forming a shield around herself, Sakuyamon enclosed the flaming pillar with her power.

Panting with the effort of containing the attack, Rika remarked, "Top that."

"Perhaps you are not as delicate as you appear," Marsmon admitted, stepping around his contained flaming attack. "But you are still a female. There is only one possible outcome."

Chuckling, Sakuyamon explained, "We may not possess your brute strength. But we have greater finesse."

Then, she opened her shield a crack. Whenever anything is contained with extreme pressure, it will explode out through the path of least resistance. The force of the flames burst out of the opening she created. The original producer of the fire could only gape as the redirected attack struck him. Before the vaccine could recover, the golden mega pole-vaulted towards him with her staff and her heels connected with his face.

* * *

"I'm going to be sick!" Rapidmon declared, his body spinning like a top.

Takato briefly wondered why Terriermon wasn't bothered by his "Terrier Tornado" attacks before grabbing the ultimate. "Hang on."

"To what?" asked the rabbit before Gallantmon hurled him out of the whirlwind.

Valkyrimon tilted his head, "That's an unusual strategy: tossing your allies around."

"Rapid Fire!" shouted the metallic vaccine, but his shots missed the speedster.

Gallantmon, digging his lance into the ground, managed to force his body out of the twister. Inwardly, Guilmon wondered why the world was spinning.

"Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!" announced Henry.

"About time," Rapidmon laughed, flying after the avian mega. "Miracle Missile!"

The card-enhanced ultimate's assault actually reached Valkyrimon. The explosions caused the metallic rabbit to cackle hysterically. As the smoke cleared, his moment of triumph proved premature. The mega was frowning, his body showing scratches and other evidence of battle, but nowhere near defeat.

"I wish that you had not chosen this path," he sighed. "You might have been a valuable asset to our cause. Seems so unfortunate that all this talent is being wasted."

"Lightning Joust!"Gallantmon shouted, striking the feathered creature.

As Valkyrimmon flew from the force, both knight and rabbit followed closely. When he came to rest, they were already on top of him. Unfortunately, they weren't prepared for the speed of his recovery.

"Feral Sword!"

"Ah! Brain freeze!" screamed Rapidmon as the avian digimon's weapon formed ice on the metallic rabbit.

"Shield of the Just!" shouted Gallantmon at the same moment, catching Valkyrimon directly in the chest.

* * *

Something was not right. Fatemon could tell this immediately. But what might be off, he couldn't tell immediately. The world just seemed a lot fuzzier. He took a quick survey of his surroundings.

Right in front of him was Sakuyamon, her staff held defensively. Nearby, it seemed that Dianamon and Valkyrimon just knocked Gallantmon flying across the landscape. Even further off, he spotted Rapidmon being kicked in the face by Marsmon.

"Our friends are in trouble," gasped Mako inwardly. "We need to help them."

Ai, however, asked, "How'd the moon-lady get over there so fast?"

That was it! Dianamon had been right in front of him a few moments before. Now, Fox-face was the closest. It didn't add up. The positions of the enemies and allies were wrong. Part of him wanted to ignore this oddness and go after the opponents he could see, the part of him that was being influenced by her "Crescent Hook". But his young tamer's question made him pause.

Her last attack was messing with his head. The identities were being mixed so he couldn't tell friend or foe. Likely, Sakuyamon wasn't really her, but he couldn't tell for sure. Fatemon had approximately five seconds to recognize a target before someone attacked. And he couldn't risk striking out blindly.

Anyone who was asked to describe his current form always made a comparison to Beelzemon. True, he'd exchanged guns for a sword and a leather jacket for armor. Granted, his head now wore a helm. But in general outline, body build, and many other crucial details were identical to his other winged mega form. Specifically, both possessed three emerald eyes.

Fatemon closed his two regular ones in order to use the third one, hoping that it could do the same sort of tricks it could as Beelzemon. He could easily pick out the large group of kids, rookies, and a pair of champions. Next, he started picking out the others. While Dianamon's attack targeted his sight, it had no influence on the perspective of his third eye, his inner vision. Effortlessly, he could pick out the Biomerged pair and the ultimate from the three strange megas. And all she'd done was switch his friends with hers, as he suspected.

"Wow," gasped his impressed tamers. "That's really cool."

"Balanced Reality!" Fatemon shouted, the twin balls of light and darkness striking the stunned data type. "I don't appreciate messing with my head. I've dealt with enough of that already."

After catching her breath, the Sakuyamon/Dianamon figure waved her hand. All the digimon regained their normal appearance in his eyes. She tilted her head and gave a sympathetic sigh.

"Poor thing, someone else playing with your mind," she soothed, her words soft and kind. Then, her sapphire eyes hardened. "Let me put you out of your misery! Arrow of Artemis!"

"Why do I get stuck with the emotionally insane one?" muttered the virus type, swinging his sword around. "Blade of Destiny!"

He deflected the icy arrow before bringing his sword to meet her descending weapon. Growling with frustration, she tried to apply more pressure to her duel-edged blade, but Fatemon forced her back before bringing his boot around to connect with the side of her head. She went limp and fell to the ground. After a second, she began to move, demonstrating she was down and not out. At least, for the moment. He raised his sword.

"Wait!"

**Okay, cliffhanger-ish. In case you couldn't guess, when Dianamon changed his perspective, he saw his friends as foes and vice versa. Specifically, he saw Dianamon as Sakuyamon, Marsmon as Rapidmon, Valkyrimon as Gallantmon, Sakuyamon as Marsmon, Gallantmon as Dianamon, and Rapidmon as Valkyrimon. But the specifics aren't exactly important for the story beyond Dianamon looked like Sakuyamon and was close to him.**

**I based the three megas' personalities vaguely off the descriptions on Digimon Wikipedia and my own interpretations. Thus, I decided to make Dianamon… moody. She switches between a "light" personality of sympathy and kindness and a "dark" personality of hatred and fury. And before you ask, they aren't evil. Not really. Just misguided. I'll update when I get caught up with the school stuff.**


	19. Conversations

**I return! Sorry it's been so long, but the holidays are a busy time for me. So, from me to you, happy (insert your winter holiday of choice. Mine is Christmas…) and hope you have a good one. So this update is a long one.**

**This will be an interesting chapter hopefully. Or it could be a complete disaster. I shall be trying something a little bold. I will try not to have anyone too out of character, but I will be pushing it in this chapter. Mostly, this should be the most troublesome chapter to write because I am trying to accomplish something I've always wanted to see. But everything from here on out, should definitely remain more strongly in character. Don't give up on this story just because of this chapter.**

**I hope you like this update, but I will understand if you don't. Either way, here it is.**

Davis, leader of the younger generation of Digidestined, owner of the Digi-eggs of Courage and Friendship, and possessor of Tai's original goggles, couldn't believe his eyes. While he wasn't as bad about the whole "there must be a better way than destruction" thing as Cody or Yolei, he wasn't heartless either. Granted, some digimon deserved to be shown who was boss, like MaloMyotismon, but most of their fights resulted in few fatalities. And unless the victims were obviously pure evil, a certain level of pity and regret followed. Those tamers weren't following that mindset at all.

The beginning of the fight had been impressive. Even after all this time, the awe that gladiator-worthy battle between powerful digital creatures inspired within the youth was immense. The knight, his crimson cape trailing behind his fighting figure, gave off an aura of heroic courage. The golden fox-lady, with her atmosphere of mysticism that enveloped her armored figure, seemed to personified confidence and poise. The robotic rabbit, similar and different to the Rapidmon that fought beside Magnamon against Kerpymon, demonstrated a wider variety of traits as the dark-haired boy combined cards with his strange digivice. Even the black-winged warrior possessed impressive skills, though Davis felt a sense of mistrust towards the digivolved version of the being who caused problems the night before. Still, their duels with the megas were exciting to see, regardless of the digidestined's personal feelings towards one member.

But as they continued, something seemed odd. First off, the opponents were not obviously under the control of the usual objects of mind control. There were no dark rings or spirals. There were not black gears like in the days of the older kids. And there were no control spires left that could have been transformed into digimon. Thus, these digimon were acting on their own will as far as could be determined. But they didn't seem like traditional evil digimon. One was even a vaccine, nearly unheard of as being evil. Even more concerning was their words about humanity. He wondered what could give these digimon such a low opinion of human kind and what all their tiny references meant.

Finally, something told Davis that the fight was far more serious than most that Veemon usually participated in. There was an air of wildness, of feral destruction, to the tamers' partners. It was a subtle feeling. He glanced towards Kari, wondering if this was how she felt when she sensed evil or darkness and if she was sensing anything now. She stood near T.K., her eyes locked on Fatemon and Dianamon, and a slight frown decorated her features. He looked himself and felt his mouth open in shock.

The white and blue armored mega lay on the ground, face down. The virus type obviously was victorious, but he didn't look like he planned to stop. A quick check showed the others were in similar states of winning and not intending to quit. Davis could honestly see that they were going to kill Marsmon, Valkyrimon, and Dianamon.

"Wait!" he shouted as Fatemon raised his sword.

He sent the boy a sideways glance, "What is it, Hedgehog? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"You're not going to… _kill_ them… are you?"

"That was sort of the general plan. Stop the psychotic digimon and all that," he answered nonchalantly. "Now if you excuse me, I'd like to…"

Unfortunately, the short conversation was just enough for Dianamon to take advantage of. She whipped her double crescent-bladed weapon around from her position on the ground and caught the virus in the stomach. Without missing a beat, she took aim at Sakuyamon.

"Arrow of Artemis!"

The Biomerged data type was caught by the unexpected projectile in the back. Her shout of pain and surprise caused the domino effect of distracting Gallantmon from Valkyrimon's prone form; the feathered creature knocked out by the knight's last attack. Dianamon snatched up the white avian creature as Marsmon fell back to rejoin his teammates.

"You possess unexpected power," the vaccine type remarked. "When next we duel, we shall be more prepared. And I shall hopefully gain an opponent more worthy of my abilities."

"I'll show you 'worthy'," snapped Rika's voice. "You're the ones retreating."

Marsmon corrected, "It is not my decision. We were instructed to fall back if we encounter the unforeseen. But we shall meet again."

"Unless you humans choose to leave our kind and our world in peace," added Dianamon kindly. "Release the bonds that tie these foolish digimon to you and never return here. Only then shall we leave you alone." Her sapphire eyes darkened and her tone turned cold. "And if you continued to be a threat to our world and digimon, there will be no mercy for any of you."

She and Marsmon, still supporting the recovering Valkyrimon, pulled back into the shadows of the bordering forest. In a matter of seconds, it seemed as if the trio was never present to begin with. Gallantmon gently began assisting an icy Rapidmon up. Fatemon directed a furious glare at Davis.

"Thanks ever so much for your help, Hedgehog," he snapped. "I'm sure Fox-face appreciates getting shot. Do you actually _think_ before you stick your nose into another's fight? We were doing great until you interrupted."

"But… you were going to kill them," explained the digidestined. "And you didn't seem to care."

The Biomerged digimon separated into their more usual components and Rapidmon dedigivolved into a shivering rookie. Impmon continued his rant at the boy.

"Hey, they started it! If a bunch of insane digimon wanted to crush you and your Smurf, would you honestly just sit around and let them? I wouldn't think so, unless you have a real death wish. Even Braniac, one of the greatest anti-fighting promoters that ever existed, figured out eventually that psychos don't respond to some weird 'peace and love' speech. What did you think we were going to do, slap their wrists and send them on their way?"

Davis swept his gaze over the tamers. While they looked a little uncomfortable with the purple rookie's phrasing, they weren't denying or arguing with his implication that they had intended to kill their opponents. Even Henry, holding his cold partner, did not speak out against it, though he at least seemed uneasy with the conversation. The green-eyed virus seemed too comfortable with it and seemed angry that he'd been prevented from finishing.

"But they're living things," the goggle-wearing digidestined gasped.

"So are you, but if you'd rather that I let them kill you next time, be my guest. Because they'll be back. They'll keep coming until either they take us out or we take them out. That's how it always works."

"Calm down," urged Takato, but the arguers ignored him.

"There must be a way to stop them without doing that. They didn't seem to be actually evil or anything. Though I'm beginning to wonder about you," Davis glared.

"Really? You can actually think?" retorted the virus type. "I thought you were here just for decoration."

"Yeah, and I think we can't trust you," snapped the boy angrily, his temper flaring dangerously.

Veemon gently tugged on his partner's arm, "Um… Davis?"

"You act like a big shot, but all you've done so far is make trouble," he continued. "And now you're saying you have no problem _killing_ digimon."

"If they're intent on doing the same to me," growled Impmon, his voice gaining an odd tone.

"So," the digidestined shot a look at the tamers, but kept his anger directed at the purple creature, "does this mean that your group's policy is destroying digimon without remorse? Are you all that heartless? You," he met the digimon's emerald eyes," sound to me like some kind of murderous monster!"

Impmon's reaction was unexpected. From what he'd observed of the digimon so far, he thought that the virus would respond with an insult, a smart remark, or a snide observation. What actually occurred was the rookie jerked back as if slapped. His very expressive face went blank for a moment. Davis realized that after his emotional outburst, an awkward silence fell over the group. The boy wondered if his impulsive temdencies once more caused him to say something wrong.

Impmon's pale face then twisted into fury. His red gloves tightened into fists by his sides, shaking with restrained anger. The digidestined wondered if the virus would launch himself at the human.

Two small shapes slammed into the boy, unbalancing him and causing him to crash to the ground. Twin brown-haired children pounded tiny fists on him with angry precision. They may be adorable normally, but young kids lose their appeal when they attack.

"You're a big, mean, stupid-head!" screeched Mako, whacking the older boy on the chest.

"And you can't talk like that," Ai added, grabbing a hold of Davis' hair. "It's mean and wrong and you're a bad, bad boy cause you're saying mean things. We won't let you do that!"

Veemon, Takato, Jeri, and Kari dove into the fray, dislodging twins from digidestined. Ai came loose with a handful of hair, earning a yelp from the older boy. Mako kept trying to kick his target as Takato held him around the middle.

"Stop it," instructed Jeri, she and Kari holding the young girl. "Don't do this."

"He's mean," declared Ai, sending a piercing glare at the older boy. "He was yelling mean things and… and he can't… and he…" The four year old began crying in frustration and anger. "He can't say… say that about…"

"You're ugly and stupid and stinky," her brother shouted, demonstrating that he'd picked up a few things from their partner. "And you're icky, yucky, smelly, and mean."

Davis simply stared as Veemon helped him up. While he'd yelled at the pair's partner, he'd not expected them to react this strongly. Of course, he'd never dealt with children this young before.

"Calm down," soothed Henry. "It's alright."

"Wow," Patamon sighed. "You really did it, Davis."

The youth started to turn towards the small orange creature, but he met the gaze of the tamer holding Ai. Jeri's expression was a mixture of hurt, pity, and disappointment. His mother and older sister could do that look when he really messed up. The girl couldn't be that much older or anything like that, but she could pull off the "that was extremely immature and how could you be such a bone-head and honestly, you should know better" expression like a pro.

"That was, officially, the most insensitive thing you've ever said," T.K. informed him. "You can't just randomly call someone heartless and not expect a reaction."

He glanced at the Digidestined of Hope, feeling guilty now for his earlier rant. Even if the pair shared a rivalry, Davis still respected his opinion. Sighing, the goggle-wearing youth turned to apologize to the virus.

Impmon had vanished.

* * *

The look on the purple creature's face at Davis' words caught his attention. The fury in his emerald eyes seemed impressive and intimidating, but there seemed to be a hint of another emotion. A feeling that Ken knew intimately well. Shame lurked on the digimon's expression.

As the two young children tackled the digidestined, Impmon shot a quick glance around the faces of the humans and digimon, pausing on Jeri's and Leomon's for an instant. Then, while most of the group was focused on the screaming twins or the stunned Davis, the purple creature leapt into the branches of the nearest tree.

"Oh dear," muttered Wormmon.

Thinking about what he'd seen, heard, and what Destiny hinted earlier, Ken realized, "He's the one, isn't he? The one who's kind of like me."

"Exactly," answered the prophetess, startling him since he didn't notice how close she was. "Both he and you know the guilt that the past may hold."

"Davis isn't a bad guy. He was one of the first to give me a chance on their side," he defended.

"I know, but Impmon has already ended up on the Digidestined of Digi-Eggs of Courage and Friendship's bad side with his earlier actions. Given time, their relationship would have improved," explained the dark-haired girl. "But this event created more tension and now the words spoken in anger served to bring pain of the past."

"I know how that feels," Ken frowned. "So you think we should talk?"

She nodded, "It would do you both some good."

The dark-haired boy noticed Davis tying to spot the missing digimon. It was actually kind of funny, how he kept glancing around randomly in the hopes that the rookie would reappear. The young twins began to look panicked.

"Wormmon, I have a favor to ask," he sighed slowly to his partner.

* * *

"You made him go away," Ai whimpered, her eyes accusing the older boy.

"I… I…" babbled Davis, but Renamon interrupted.

"He just needs to blow off some steam," the fox assured. "He'll be back when he won't set fire to someone's head." Icy blue eyes left no doubt in the digidestined's mind whose head would be aflame.

Mako nodded slowly, "He did promise to always come back. And _we_ weren't being bad, so he has to come back. It'll be alright."

Abruptly, the Digidestined of Kindness knelt down near the young boy in Takato's grasp. Carefully, the dark-haired youth set his insectoid partner in the small tamer's arms.

"If you and your sister will watch Wormmon for me, I'll go check on your friend," he smiled at the child. "I'm fairly sure he won't set _my_ head on fire after all."

Ai, freed from Kari and Jeri's grasp, joined her brother and agreed, "Okay, we'll take care of him. But you'll be nice to Impmon, right?"

The older boy nodded to her and the twins' expressions relaxed. Renamon glanced at Rika and Davis could tell _something_ passed between them, even if not a word exchanged between girl and fox. The yellow rookie stepped towards Ken, her tail flicking behind her.

"I'll lead you to him and ensure nothing tries to attack," she assured, reminding the group that they'd already encountered aggressive digimon and likely more lurked out of sight.

As the pair stepped out of sight, Davis felt the urge to ask, "So, Renamon can find Impmon?"

"Somehow, she always knew how to locate him," Rika responded coldly.

"You're mad too," he sighed, secretly hoping she wasn't intending to take revenge on him.

"Well, you kind of said we're all heartless murderous monsters," reminded Terriermon. "And they say _I_ have no tact, but that was just rude."

"I get why you reacted that way, Davis," began Takato slowly. "But we do care about the fact we're destroying living things. We're not happy about it, but we've learned that some fight has no other solutions."

Henry continued, "I used to hate the idea of having Terriermon fight any digimon. And I never wanted to harm them anyway. But sometimes, to protect those who need it involves destroying the threat to them."

"And most digimon in our reality attack, not because they are under the control of another, but because they want to destroy what they attack," explained the goggle-wearing tamer. "No black gears or dark rings. Just an instinct to kill digimon to gain power and possibly harm humans too."

"In order to combat that mindset, it is necessary to be similarly ruthless at times," Leomon remarked. "Because they do not cease their efforts in many cases until their destruction, that is our goal of battle. They do have a chance to return as a digi-egg in most incidents, but this does not mean we take pleasure in the deaths."

Destiny added, "Different realities often result in different types of practices, evolving from necessity and different circumstances. Stranger and harsher things exist because different rules create different solutions. Some understanding can go a long way in easing your interactions."

After a few moments of silence, Tai asked, "I can see how the accusations could hurt, but is there a reason why Impmon reacted so strongly?"

"Well, yeah, there's a reason," sighed Takato, eyeing the original goggle-head carefully and respectfully. Then he looked at Davis, "You kind of did the equivalent of calling Ken the Digimon Emperor again and claiming he'll go back to enslaving and torturing digimon."

Davis flinched at the idea. None of the Digidestined would be that cruel to the dark-haired boy. He was their friend and it would hurt him beyond imagining to not only be reminded of those events, let alone suggest that he hadn't changed from that person. And the tamer just described the earlier outburst, shouted in anger and ignorance, as having done essentially that. Definitely not representing the power of Friendship with that act.

"I really blew it, didn't I?" he moaned.

"Yep," answered Terriermon, earning a glare from Henry.

Ai, gently rubbing Wormmon's head as her brother held the green digimon, nodded, "You were really, really mean."

"So you better say 'sorry' when he comes back," suggested Mako.

The older boy nodded, "I plan on it. Any other topics I should avoid?"

"Well, it's probably best not to talk about Rika's old personality, Megidramon, my first digivolution problems," counted the rabbit digimon, marking topics off on his fingers, "Destiny's missing partner, and the whole Beelzemon-Leomon-Jeri-D-reaper fiasco is better left alone, and…"

"That's enough, Terriermon," interrupted his partner.

Gatomon suggested, "I know it is likely none of our business, and the whole curiosity and cat thing means I shouldn't ask, but maybe since you know all about us, you should share with us. At least go over the mess Davis kind of brought up."

"I don't know," frowned Takato. "That's sort of problematic. I say that's up to Jeri, Leomon, and Impmon to decide. Jeri?"

The brown-haired girl exchanged a look with her leonine champion before sighing, "Okay, but none of you get to hold this against him. It's in the past and he isn't the same as he was then."

* * *

An angry sounding snarling could be heard as the boy and yellow fox came through the underbrush. A short distance from the voice, Renamon stopped.

"I don't think my presence will help him this time. He would only snap at me and attempt to address me with a flirty statement in an attempt to distract from what just happened. Neither would be useful," she sighed, glancing at the digidestined. "But I think you might be able to get through to him. There is more to you than is obvious to most, I believe. Even if your personality seems opposed to Impmon, I can tell there is something that you share with him."

There was something impossibly observant those icy blue eyes. Destiny already seemed to know too much, but the rookie beat her on the whole vibe of "all-knowing."

Even creepier was when she faded into shadows, leaving the former Digimon Emperor alone. But he could hear the purple virus type close by and the boy followed the sound.

"Stupid, brain-dead, stinking human," growled Impmon, punching the trunk of the tree he currently hid in. "Next time, I'll let him get eaten or killed. Moronic digi-dork. Idiotic loser. Stupid creep. 'Monster.' 'Killer.' Why can't I leave it all behind?"

Ken frowned as he approached the upset virus. At first, the rant sounded to be directed at Davis, but now his frustration seemed directed inward. The dark-haired boy recognized the tone. He'd used it himself before whenever the reality of his past actions became hard to ignore. The Digidestined of Kindness might not know the circumstances of rookie's history, but he was willing to assume that this was what Destiny referred to.

Somehow, he didn't think that the impulsive and hot-tempered digimon would be the type to open up about what was troubling him, regardless of that Renamon seemed to think Ken would be able to do it. Impmon seemed too proud to even admit that anything was wrong. The boy needed to be less direct than to simply ask.

Sitting himself underneath the tree, Ken slowly commented, "You know, even if Davis is likely to act or speak without thinking, he's generally a forgiving and accepting person. I should know. He was one of the first to take me back after everything."

He didn't look up into the branches to see the purple creature's reaction. But the angry muttering was dying down, except for a final snort of "mindless Hedgehog," and the digimon no longer punched the trunk. Impmon was listening at least.

"There really wasn't any reason to. I… did some things I regret," sighed the boy, unsure how to continue or even if he should.

The soft, sincere whisper of "join the club," however convinced him that here was someone who would understand. Not that the dark-haired boy's friends didn't try to be understanding, but none of them could really know exactly what it was like. Even Wormmon, the closest to having an idea of what went through the youth's mind, didn't live with the knowledge of knowing what atrocities that had been committed and remembering the lack of caring he'd felt at the time he acted as such.

Ken took a breath and began, "When I first came to the digital world and met Wormmon, I was with an older boy. He was my friend and I tried to keep him from being hit by something an old enemy of his sent out. I got hit instead by these Dark Spores. Everything went downwards from there." Considering the girl's words from earlier, he wondered what Destiny knew about Ryo, but continued his story. "A lot of stuff happened, but the Dark Spore slowly affected my thoughts and emotions. I eventually started calling myself the Digimon Emperor."

"That's it? You gave yourself a dumb title?" asked Impmon. Ken glanced up to see the rookie sitting on the branch, staring down at the boy. For a moment, he seemed distracted by the retelling of the digidestined's past; his earlier anger temporarily forgotten. "I've heard worse."

"What I called myself is nothing compared to what I did. I began enslaving digimon, stealing away their free-will, and treating this whole world like a giant computer game. I'd grown cold, heartless, and distant. I saw other people as beneath me and digimon as simple programs for me to use and manipulate as I saw fit. I ended up hurting everyone, including the other Digidestined."

Through the narration, Ken kept his voice neutral and distant. It was hard to recount his actions of those days still. He'd skipped over his brother's death and other events to keep it simple. Destiny told him to speak with his fellow 'lost soul,' but not what about. All he could hope was that he was right in his decision of what to say.

"I wanted power," a soft voice sighed from above. "I wanted power, but I… didn't want to go for the smart choice. I wouldn't go back to Ai and Mako. I was too bitter and stupid to go back. I was too proud to admit I might be wrong and to try again. I figured the choice was to be a mindless digi-slave or to go it alone."

The dark-haired boy saw Impmon staring into the distance. The tone of self-hatred had returned, but the rookie seemed calm enough. He wasn't attacking any vegetation now at least.

The digimon shook his head ruefully, "I never should have made that deal."

"What deal?" he prompted carefully.

"…The deal that ruined everything," Impmon answered after a few moments. "See, this stuck-up creep hated humans and any digimon who aligned with them and he had about twelve ultimates that worked for him. One of them, Chatsuramon, approached me. He offered me what I wanted: power. But there is always a cost for power and this one was… high. But in the end, I accepted. I agreed to be their tool so I could digivolve. I agreed to be a killer and I proceeded to destroy any digimon I ran across just because I could. That bone-headed Hedgehog wasn't far off in calling me a monster." The digital creature met the boy's gaze. "What did it take for you? What pulled you out of that darkness before it was too late?"

Ken closed his eyes, cringing at the memory of that day, "I created a real monster, Kimeramon, and couldn't control it. The Digidestined, who'd been helping to stop my efforts for a while, were forced to clean up my stupid mess again. But that time, Wormmon was helping as well. He knew that he couldn't save me on his own. He just wanted the old me back, the real me. In the end, he sacrificed himself to help stop Kimeramon. I thought that I could start over, press a giant re-do button and try again. But the others explained the digital world isn't a video game, digimon aren't just programs, and everything I did and was doing was real. Somehow, it broke through whatever the Dark Spore did to my mind. I realized truly what I did to all those digimon, to my friend. It took a while to get back to… me, but I found my partner and eventually even joined the Digidestined to make up for what I did."

"Losing a friend? I'm sorry," muttered the digimon softly, looking miserable. "Even if you got the little guy back, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

"It was bad," Ken acknowledged.

"Chatsuramon wanted me to kill specific individuals, you know. Not just whatever I found. Who he wanted dead was why I had some trouble with the decision. He wanted the tamers and their partners destroyed. At the time, I wasn't big on humans, but I wasn't positive that I could go that far. He showed me an image of… well, I agreed finally."

Ken briefly wondered what Chatsuramon had shown the rookie to convince him, but Impmon was still talking.

"I attacked them. They never deserved that. When one of them tried to talk sense into me, to stop my heartless attack, what did I do? I kill him. I broke a little girl's heart by killing her partner in front of her and laughing about it. I didn't care about her pain, only the power. Goggle-head and Pineapple-head eventually, after temporarily turning Dino-boy into a mindless beast, stopped me. They intended to kill me for what I did. But… she begged them not to. I stole her partner away and she still couldn't stand to see another death. That's what snapped me out of my power trip: Jeri giving me my life back."

The Digidestined of Kindness asked, "You killed Leomon?"

"It took forever to repair all the harm I did that day," nodded the purple being from his perch. "No one could imagine what would happen to her and I wish I could take it back. The only good thing is that I finally went back to the twins after that. They're great and welcomed me back as if I was the greatest thing they'd ever known. The others were harder, but they really believe in second chances."

Ken nodded, "The Digidestined are like that too. So, Jeri and Leomon eventually were reunited at least." As hard as talking about this sort of thing had to be, he was feeling better. Chances are they rookie did as well, even if his pride would never let him admit it. "I'm glad for them."

"They almost weren't. After I killed him, I made it so there was almost no chance of him to come back. That was why it hurt Jeri so bad: she thought he was gone forever and she would never see Leomon again. Trust me, it was hard to get him back." The virus gave a weak smile, "But it was worth it to know that some of the harm I'd done had been reversed." Impmon jumped down from his position, landing beside the boy. His emerald eyes studied the human with a hint of… understanding? Acceptance? Respect? "Ever wonder if you'll fall back into your old ways? Ever think you might become that person again?"

Ken shook his head hard, "No, I won't turn into him again. Even if I started slipping into darkness, my friends will stop me. They won't let history repeat itself."

"If I ever turned back into that heartless creature, all I can hope is that they would be willing to do whatever it took to keep me from hurting them. But I won't let it happen and neither will you," assured Impmon. "We have partners that depend and believe in us. We can't go back because they need us." He regained his now-familiar smirk, "Besides, idiotic Goggle-heads need someone to balance out their stupid heroics."

"Let's get back to the others," suggested the digidestined. "I left Wormmon with Ai and Mako. I'm sure he would like to be rescued by now."

"The bug will live," the rookie dismissed. "The munchkins'll take care of him. But doubtless Hedgehog will end up getting into some kind of mess soon. I guess you're right and we should go keep them out of trouble, Your Majesty."

For some reason, the reference to the Digimon Emperor persona did not trouble Ken nearly as much when it came from Impmon. He didn't mean it in an accusatory, angry, spiteful, insulting, or even apologetic way. The virus wasn't upset about the boy's past crimes nor was he trying to avoid bring up a painful topic. He was simply giving the digidestined a nickname, just as he did for everyone. The digimon was acknowledging the events, realizing it was part of human's life and now it was over, and managed to do it without a hint of pity or condescending. Impmon's life was no better so he could not really judge Ken. The name he selected wasn't who the virus saw him as; it was who the boy had conquered to become the person he was now. The amazing thing was that all this was conveyed by a few words.

Though not one that normally would respond to a nickname like this (Davis would be more likely to answer in this fashion, but he did pick up a few things from the goggle-wearing youth), the Digidestined of Kindness, "After you, Killer."

A look of surprise morphed to understanding on the digimon's pale face. He grinned at the human. Neither noticed a flash of yellow fur from the listening rookie sliding back into the shadows.

**I've always thought that a conversation between Ken and Impmon would be the coolest thing ever. They both served similar roles on the shows, so I just wanted to see them interact. Unfortunately to do that, I was forced to make Davis temporarily act like a jerk. Sorry… I also ended up pushing things a little to get the rookie to open up to, essentially, a stranger. Thus, Ken had to start the conversation off. Still, things should become more interesting soon. Let me know what you think. Thanks.**


	20. One of the Original

**First update on this story of the new year. Sweet! I will unveil some cool things I've been planning for the future. It should only increase the awesomeness to come. Unfortunately, I'll be forced to develop a large number of new characters in order to make it work, but they are already planned out now. So, that shouldn't slow me down much. Hope you like what I've come up with and hope that I don't confuse you with what is coming.**

"You wish to speak to me, Mr. Konishi?"

"Yes, come in," the grey-haired man nodded, gesturing at the woman to have a seat. "Miss Tamiko Mizutani, isn't it? Designer of our Guardian program and, from what I've been lead to believe, quite the expert on digimon."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged. "I have extensive knowledge of the digital anomalies in question. Because of the varied capabilities and behavior patterns that they've been shown to exhibit, extensive research is required to handle such things. I've also been doing in-depth studies in order to perfect the scanning and screening applications of the program."

Mr. Konishi sighed, "That knowledge is what I need. I have here a list of all the digimon living in the Odiaba that we know of. Doubtless, some are trying to remain undetected, but this should be a fair sampling. We've arranged interviews with some of the children when their parents brought them to our attention through the PAD group in the past, but that isn't enough. I need your cooperation and, more importantly, your silence."

The PAD group, or Parents Against Digimon, was a collection of concerned citizens that fought against the acceptance of the digital monsters in society, citing that such entities were a danger to the youthful children that were drawn to them. They signed petitions, organized rallies, and ran bake sales in order to spread their message. Many parents would attempt to drag their kids there in order to demonstrate the corruption digimon were having on their little darlings. The group kept a list of known children that were partnered with the digital creatures and would, in many cases, attempt to separate them. A few members of DADP joined the group in order to keep tabs on the growing situation. While that part of the group's work rarely seemed to work, they kept trying. One of the rumors that circled the seventeenth floor was that the entire PAD group was founded by DADP simply to gain eventual public support if they ever went public with their work. All Mizutani hoped was that the children tangled up with these digital monsters understood that their parents' actions were for the best and they needed to be removed from the dangerous threat quickly.

She nodded, "Of course you have my secrecy, sir."

"I need you to select a few pairs from these files," he explained as he handed her the papers. "We'll take them subtly to have this… _connection_ studied. In order to ensure that their bond isn't hazardous to the children's health. The digimon partner might be more parasitic in nature and could be harming them unnoticed. We need to examine not only if that connection is dangerous, but if severing it, if needed, can be done safely."

"Would this be considered legal?" she asked.

"When dealing with the children, no. Thus the secrecy of this operation. I leave you to select the most effective specimens. Then, we'll send in small teams to neutralize and transport the digimon and child," described Mr. Konishi. "Afterwards, a small dose of a drug to cloud the memories of the event will be administered to the child and parent, if they are present at the extraction process and raise a fuss. The parents will later assume it was a typical case of kidnapping and will simply be grateful for their child's safe return home. A simple operation with little collateral damage."

She stared at him carefully for a few moments before asking, "Sir, why did you really ask me to take this assignment? I'd assume you would want Guardian on-line and at full strength as quickly as possible, so you'd ensure that nothing would distract me from that goal. Instead, you are entrusting me with knowledge of an illegal operation and request my assistance specifically. All I need to know is why? There are others with a reasonable knowledge of digimon, so why did you request me?"

"I studied your file carefully," he sighed slowly. "Of all the members of DADP, you are one of the few who possess the greatest… lack of sympathy for digimon. Unlike some, you never fool yourself into believing they are something more than a clever arrangement of 1's and 0's. You've expressed on multiple occasions that you feel that any and all digimon are a potential threat, whether it is intentionally harmful or not. Besides, your records demonstrate that, except for your little 'problem,' you appear to be the definition of a perfect employee for difficult or delicate operations."

She grimaced, "My 'problem' is nothing. A delusion, a hallucination, and nothing more than that. I'm afraid I let it have a too great an influence on my life as a young teen. But therapy and medication for a few years dispelled that problem long ago. I'm perfectly normal now."

"According to this, you take medication still to ensure no relapses," he read. "I assume that you take it regularly, correct?"

"Of course," she lied. "Wouldn't want a crazy person around after all." She laughed slightly, gathering the list of digidestined. "I'll get back to you as quickly as possible, sir."

"And Miss Mizutani," called Mr. Konishi as she began to leave. "Just out of curiosity, what was your… hallucination about?"

"I can't recall," she answered honestly. "I only had it once ten years ago. My problem, as I stated, was I wouldn't let it go and grew obsessed. But it's over and gone now." She nodded, "I'll get started on these then."

* * *

"Yikes," grimaced Davis after the entire Beelzemon-Leomon-Jeri-D-reaper situation was more or less explained, starting with Chatsuramon's deal to finally getting Jeri out of the Kernal Sphere. It had not been a pleasant talk. Most of the Digidestined flinched at the more horrifying aspects, such as Beelzemon's attack on the children, Jeri's reaction, and her eventual kidnapping by the dangerous pink goo. "Let's put the D-reaper down as 'not good' and hope never to deal with it."

"It's locked up," explained Mako, slowly forgiving the older boy for earlier. "After Impmon showed up all see-through, we turned into Fatemon and beat up evil, scary, mean, see-through Beelzemon. Then, lots of bright lights trapped the bad gooey thing."

"I think I actually followed that," Davis slowly stated. After a few seconds, he shook his head, "No, I didn't. What did he say?"

"Another time," dismissed Rika. She turned to the left as Renamon materialized and startled half the group. "I believe we're almost ready to get going on this scavenger hunt now."

"Of course, toots," Impmon called as he and Ken stepped back into the clearing. "Let's hit the road."

"Impmon," squealed Ai. "We missed you."

"Five minutes and you're about to send out the search party? You guys really are lost without me," he smirked, rubbing her brown hair messily and glancing at where her brother held Wormmon still.

"Yep, he's back," groaned Terriermon.

Davis, looking sheepish, began, "Listen, about earlier… I shouldn't…"

"Save it, Hedgehog," interrupted the digimon. "Not your fault your brain isn't working right. I think the goggles cut off blood flow to your head."

"But…" the boy tried again, but the older Goggle-head put his hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes it's better to drop it," he confided. "He doesn't seem mad anymore, anyone can tell you're sorry, and a real apology will only be awkward. Matt can be like that sometimes. Just try not to repeat the same mistakes. Make whole new ones next time."

Davis chuckled slightly at Tai's advice before noticing Destiny's distracted expression. She was staring off into the distance, concentrating on something unseen and unheard. Slowly, a confused expression spread across her face.

"What are the chances?" she muttered softly.

"Um… what's going on, Dee?" asked Impmon.

She glanced over at Kari, "Whistle."

"What?" the girl questioned.

"Whistle," repeated the prophetess. "Blow the whistle. Loudly."

"Why would she…?" began Gatomon before the Digidestined of Light interrupted with the requested high-pitched sound.

As the sound from the metal whistle faded, a roar erupted from the forest. The group glanced in the direction of the noise.

"How was that a good idea?" asked Terriermon.

"I know that sound," the Kamiya siblings stated slowly, speaking in a creepy unison.

Patamon cringed, "Yeah, it's the sound of 'big.' Should we be worried that it's probably coming this way now?"

"Most likely," shrugged Veemon.

Crashing footsteps and cracking underbrush announced the approach of whatever Kari's whistle summoned. Of the group, only Destiny, Tai, and his sister seemed unconcerned by the sounds. Finally, a giant shape broke into view. Its appearance seemed surprising.

"It's… a Greymon," gasped Rika. "Only redder and bigger than usual, I think."

The dinosaur tilted his head curiously, studying the group. It made no aggressive actions, only watching them. The other digimon remained on guard in case its calm attitude suddenly changed.

The creature slowly asked, "Kari-Kari? Tai-Tai? It's been over fifty-eight hundred years…"

"No… way…," whispered Tai. "Not possible."

"Why not?" Destiny grinned. "Old friends should not be forgotten. RedGreymon once entered the human world and fought in the city before eight special children's eyes. But that was not his first encounter with humans."

"Okay, could someone fill me in," complained Impmon. "I'm guessing Jumbo isn't going to eat us, but I'm still in the dark a little here."

Takato stepped forward, "In the movie… I mean eight or nine years ago, a digi-egg showed up at Tai and Kari's home. It hatched and eventually digivolved into him." He pointed at RedGreymon. "He fought against Parrotmon and every kid who saw the fight became the Digidestined."

"Then explain the fifty-eight hundred year thing," Terriermon requested. "Cause these kids don't look _that_ old."

"Until August 1999, the time between the human and digital world wasn't the same," the boy sighed, trying to recite information about his favorite show without sounding like a total geek. "A day in the digital world equaled a minute in the human one. So I think the four years of the time-warp thing explains it."

"…Okay," frowned Henry. "But when did he meet humans before?"

Takato shook his head, "No clue."

"Honestly, I don't remember it," RedGreymon admitted. "In fact, before I heard that whistle, I couldn't remember Kari-Kari or Tai-Tai. It was so strange."

"Well, I'd say you've been reborn a few times in several thousand years," pointed out T.K. "I'd say that would erase lots of memories."

"But digimon with human partners can regain memories a lot easier than normal ones," remarked Destiny. "Especially with familiar stimuli, like the whistle or a face."

The entire group, human and digimon, blinked at her in surprise. She'd essentially dropped a completely random hint that the strange digimon might be someone's partner. Odd clues like that generally catch people's attention quickly.

"…I think that statement requires more explanation," Kari finally requested.

"Gennai told you that the eight of you were not the first digidestined," reminded the prophetess. "There were five before you 'who faced the evil that came from beyond the Wall of Fire. Though they were but children, strangers to one another, they united against the danger by giving strength to digimon who came to them, called by the bond they shared.' Those were the original DigiDestined. And one of their partners was him." She pointed at RedGreymon.

"And how long have you known this?" Ken asked.

"About five minutes," answered the blue-eyed girl. "And he's coming with us."

Agumon glanced up at the super-sized version of his champion level, "Isn't he a little conspicuous?"

"Like giant freaky monsters _aren't_ common around here," muttered Impmon sarcastically. "It _is_ the digital world after all. Not like they don't run around here all the time, Pumpkin-head."

"I guess I can help with that," sighed Destiny. "After all, his rookie level is his more usual form."

"And how do you know that?" Terriermon asked, not really expecting an answer.

She pulled out her crystalline D-arc and aimed it at the huge champion. A bright light shot out and enveloped him. The shape shrunk and changed, leaving a smaller dinosaur-like creature.

"He's still almost the size of a car," Davis gasped, looking at the large orange digimon that nearly matched Leomon in height.

"He _crushed_ a car once," muttered Tai.

Jeri shrugged, "Leomon is pretty tall too. There's nothing wrong with big digimon."

"Isn't it better to not focus on the fact that he's still fairly large," suggested T.K., "and ask how many more tricks the girl can pull off? She can open portals in midair and dedigivolve RedGreymon without really trying. Add in her prophecy thing to that, and I have to wonder what else she can do."

"Well, my only other main tool for the job is the invisible bubble," the prophetess sighed. "Useful for observing important, but dangerous situations without being seen. It keeps me protected and hidden from everyone."

"That would be so cool to try," grinned Davis.

"You'd just use it to spy on Kari," Gatomon mumbled.

Most of the Digidestined laughed at the feline's comment, leaving Veemon's partner bright red. Rika groaned at the entire thing.

"Okay, we've picked up another hitchhiker," she grumbled. "Now, can we head over to find the smart old guy and get on with whatever we're supposed to be doing?"

Ken, nodding in agreement, stepped over to where Mako and Ai held his partner. Unlike what he expected to find, the twins were taking care to be gentle with Wormmon. The insect seemed to enjoy the small hands stroking his head lightly. For some reason, the young children behaved better overall than most kids their age he'd observed.

"Here's Wormmon back," Mako smiled as he transferred the green rookie to Ken. "He's nice."

"Didn't pull your antennas off, I see," the older boy remarked to his partner, Wormmon having worried about that.

Ai shook her head hard, "No. That would be bad. Digimon aren't toys, they're our friends, and you have to be careful and nice to them."

"No tug-a-war or fighting over them," muttered her brother softly, both of the looking upset.

Impmon rubbed the pair's heads, "It's alright, munchkins. You did fine with Bug-boy. Let's make sure the new bunch of digi-dorks don't get distracted by something shiny."

* * *

A partner? A human partner? BigAgumon contemplated this concept as the large collection of humans and digimon began moving. It seemed so strange to imagine.

Just a few moments before, he was another digimon living in the forest. Things seemed to be going well; he'd recently digivolved to RedGreymon even. Now, he was back to the rookie level and gained several long-lost memories: a small room with a bunk-bed, a scratching fur-ball, an attacking Parrotmon, and two small children. He nearly didn't recognize them now, but Tai-Tai still wore his hair tall and Kari-Kari's piercing whistle rang through his mind to summon the ancient memories.

Now, a dark-haired human girl, the one that changed him back to his rookie form, claimed that even before those days he knew a member of humanity. She said that he'd been partnered to one. There was no memory of that individual. Even now, the only humans he could remember meeting were his friends Tai-Tai and Kari-Kari.

Could… the dark-haired girl be…? No, somehow he knew she wasn't his partner. She didn't feel right. Shouldn't he sense a connection to his partner? That was the rumor. Tai-Tai _almost_ felt that way, but not quite. Did that mean his partner, his human, would be like the spiky-haired boy?

A faint and fleeting image flashed through his mind. A pair of goggles with a green strap struck a rock. The goggles carried a feeling of belonging, completeness, and friendship. A name tried to appear, but fled before he could grasp it for sure.

_Ri… Rik… Ri…_

For the first time since he hatched from his digi-egg, he wondered about who he was. His past, lost by multiple rebirths and new lives, seemed to be catching up with him. When and if he remembered more, would he still be the same digimon he'd been this morning? Did he want to know more?

He couldn't remember his partner (_Ri… Rik… Rik…_), but he knew that they were supposed to be together. That was how it worked. And if he could remember the human, maybe find the child, would it make him happy?

A deep feeling answered that question. Without a doubt, finding his partner (_Rik… Ri… Rik…_) would make him happier than anything else in the Digiworld. And these humans, digimon, Kari-Kari, and Tai-Tai seemed to be the key. Along with the dark-haired girl with all-too-knowing blue eyes.

**Yes! Finally got to this part. Okay, explanation time everyone!**

**In the second to last episode of Digimon season one, the silhouettes of the "original" DigiDestined were shown in a flashback as Gennai explained. Rather than create five new children and five digimon, they used the kids they already had to represent them. Specifically, the silhouettes of the original DigiDestined and their partners looked like Tai, Matt, Sora, T.K., Izzy, Agumon, Gabumon, Biyomon, Patamon, and Tentomon. Thus, I saw no reason why I could not use them in the story. But they aren't the same digimon obviously, but their outlines are similar. I'm taking liberties with the proportions, but I figured that BigAgumon could have been the shape seen in the flashback. That could explain why Botamon, freshly hatched, immediately latched onto Tai's face. Subconsciously, the boy reminded him of his partner. **

**I plan to bring the original DigiDestined into the story as I go, but that doesn't mean that suddenly it'll end up with two Gabumons, two Biyomons, two Patamons, ect. I'll be using digimon with the same body structure. Some already exist (Do you know how long it can take to examine a large number of digimon in the hopes it looks somewhat like a certain big-eared, orange flying digimon?) and others I'll invent. But this means I need to invent five "kids" to have gone into the digital world in the "ancient times" (but the time warp that used to be in place means that even one year in the human world is about 1460 years in the digital one. Ancient times aren't that hard to end up with) and where they are now. But as I said, most of that is already planned out and developed in my notes. It should be under control.**

**Final note on my story so far. I've spelt it as "digidestined", "Digidestined", and "DigiDestined". Each variation means something a little different. When it says "digidestined", it is the common form. Like "king" or "boy." When it says Digidestined, it is a title that applies to Tai, his group, Davis, and that boy's group of individuals. Like "King Arthur." And the newest form, DigiDestined, will apply to original five kids that I haven't introduced yet. Understand?**

**Any questions, comments, or suggestions are welcomed. I'll try to keep things clear, understandable, and enjoyable as the story progresses. I hope you like it.**


	21. Gennai

**First off, I would like to apologize for the long wait. School is beginning again and I have to get back into the routine that allowed me to do work for school and still write reasonably understandable and entertaining chapters. And this is an important chapter because it (finally) reveals **_**why**_** the tamers are here. I've been looking forward to this one and I hope that it turns out well.**

From her admittedly limited experience with the television show, Rika expected to that they would meet an old man with more wrinkles than her mother had dresses. Instead, a brown-haired man that looked like he was in his mid-twenties suddenly stepped out of the forest and greeted them warmly. Each of the Digidestined was known to him by name and didn't seem surprised to find an adult in a robe. Destiny received the friendliest reaction.

"Destiny," Gennai smiled. "Back already? It's always nice to see you."

The prophetess laughed lightly and gave him a hug, "Hey, old man. Been busy keeping all these digidestined out of trouble?"

"You know each other?" asked Patamon curiously.

She grinned, "We do the same sort of thing, at least in part. So I popped in at various times to help him, though he remembers more of these events than I do. He handles this reality most of the time without my help. Still, it's nice to visit him." She glanced at Gennai. "Did I just leave then? Was…?"

"No, I'm sorry," he sighed. "Fate wasn't here. But you brought someone with you. Why don't all of you come with me. There's a nice picnic set up and waiting."

"Food!" cheered Guilmon, latching onto the important part of the conversation.

"Um…" began Davis carefully, watching the red-head's expression. "Do you know who Fate is? I mean, I'm guessing there is some kind of time travel involved here with what they said, but Fate sounds like a person."

Renamon, rather than her partner, answered the boy, "We've never met him, but he was her partner."

"'Was' doesn't sound good," Veemon muttered softly.

"No, it doesn't," responded the yellow-furred rookie. "It's not supposed to sound good when someone loses their partner."

Before they could develop response, Gennai led them into another clearing. This one held a pair of picnic tables and a checkered blanket spread between them. An assortment of food was already waiting for them. Guilmon began drooling at the delicious aromas. Across the cheerful-looking field rested a stone building, almost temple-like in appearance. Rika realized with a shock that, except for the surroundings and less weathered condition of the structure, it seemed to be a copy of the building that they first met Destiny in.

"Oh Gennai," the prophetess smiled. "You didn't have to go to so much trouble. Did you set this up all by yourself or did José, Benjamin, and the others help you?"

The young man shook his head, "Actually, you helped me before you left. One of the perks of time travel, I guess. I know all of you must be hungry. Please help yourselves."

A red reptilian digimon needed no further prompting and broke into a run across the grass. Guilmon's partner followed in a vain effort to moderate the creature's consumption rate. The red-haired tamer rolled her eyes at the pair's antics. Davis and Veemon took only a moment to join in on the mad dash for the food. Laughing, Tai and Agumon decided to participate in the race, with Terriermon jumping onto the spiky-haired boy's shoulder once the rabbit realized he'd need to hurry to get anything to eat and Henry moved too slowly. As Guilmon began picking up a basket with snacks to his mouth, T.K. and Kari grabbed hands and broke into a run of their own, their digimon following behind.

Most of the rest moved at a calmer pace. Ai and Mako tugged gently on Impmon's arms, but he sarcastically remarked that he'd rather not get too close to Guilmon's mouth until the reptile slowed down on chewing enough not to accidentally eat someone's hand. Henry shook his head as Terriermon dove straight into a small pile of muffins. BigAgumon seemed lost in his thoughts, staring off into the distance. Jeri and Leomon took a seat on the edge of the red-and-white checkered blanket, smiling at the boys and digimon struggling over a rice ball.

Destiny and Gennai, both beings who spent their lives guiding the actions of others, appeared to be chatting, though he seemed to be doing more of the reminiscing. Rika didn't know for sure what the topics of their discussion could be, but the last time the red-head remembered seeing the girl that relaxed was the night before they fought Polydromon. Before, Rika frowned with realization, the tamers understood the prophetess would allow them to die and not even warn them of what was coming. At that point, the dark-haired girl went from a possible friend to another source of danger, indirectly, in the Digimon Queen's opinion.

Rika shook her head. She didn't want to keep blaming Destiny for everything. She'd known the girl for such a short time period, excluding the "young" Destiny (which caused Rika to briefly wonder what happened to her back in their world). Renamon had reminded the red-haired tamer that the prophetess possessed a responsibility and wished to be reunited with Fate. She could accept and sympathize with this, but she still felt betrayed knowing that the dark-haired girl could have the knowledge of horrible things to come and say or do nothing. Destiny may not have caused the deaths directly, but she could have warned them, couldn't she? This entire "destiny," "fate," and "prophecy" thing was just asking for trouble in Rika's opinion. No one should mess with her life, especially some cloak-wearing kid.

The tamer sat down at the picnic table, scowling slightly. She was here; she would help save the world, and do what she needed to. Not because some prophecy told her to, but because _Rika_ decided to. And just because she was willing to help Destiny, that didn't mean she'd trust the girl completely or anything like that. Trust, for the red-haired tamer, took effort to earn.

As the feeding frenzy slowed, Tai glanced at Gennai questioningly. The older boy, wondering where to begin on the inevitable interrogation, finally decided to submit the most recent puzzle.

"On our way here, we were attacked by a few megas. Do you know anything about that or why?"

Sighing, Gennai slowly answered, "On to business, I suppose. As you've noticed, the human world has not responded well to the knowledge of digimon's existence."

"I'll say," Impmon muttered, his mouth full of food. "Crazy lunatics."

Continuing, the man explained, "Small acts of violence against partnered digimon have begun to occur in slowly increasing frequency, but there are more organized threats, and thus more dangerous, being developed in your world. Hints of these fearful actions begin to reach the ears of worried digimon and there lies the problem."

The Digidestined exchanged worried looks at the knowledge of the violent attacks on digimon and the spreading news of these events. Rika and the tamers felt more concerned about the "more organized threats."

Henry raised his hand, "Do you mean that the government could be planning something? Are they taking action against the digital world?"

Gennai shrugged, "They keep most of their computer systems isolated. Thus, it has been difficult to identify the group. All I know is they are working on ways to target digimon, and possibly even creating ways to destroy them."

"Like the bug-zapper building?" asked Impmon suddenly. "Because I already ran into that thing and it wasn't fun."

"What are you talking about?" Kari frowned.

"Last night, one of your city's skyscrapers tried to zap me to oblivion. I don't recommend touching it unless you have a death wish," he explained, reaching for something else to eat. "It would have impressed the Hypnos dorks."

"And you didn't tell us before about this little encounter because…?" asked Rika.

The digimon shrugged, "Didn't come up."

"Okay, file that away as 'problems for later'," Tai muttered. "In addition to Impmon's _fun_ discovery and the human threat, what else are we facing? How do Valkyrimon, Dianamon, and Marsmon figure into all of this?"

"A powerful digimon has become convinced that humans, all of them, are a threat to the digital world," described Gennai. "He's become aware of mankind's actions and intentions, but it blinded to humanity's potential for good. Rather than embrace the possibility of a partnership between the worlds, he'd rather divide them 'for the protection of all digimon.' Others, like those you encountered, share this view and seek to remove digimon from 'the dangerous human world' and to banish humans from this one."

"That's not fair!" Davis shouted. "They can't do that. Me and Veemon are a team. Even if some idiotic adults don't get it, plenty of people know humans and digimon work better together."

"Save it," sighed Rika. "It sounds like Zhuqiaomon and the devas again. All the goggle-headed speeches in the world won't break through to them. Actions speak louder than words."

"And Rika hits harder than any other action could be," snickered Terriermon before an evil glare from the girl silenced him.

Henry shook his head at the rabbit's continued tactlessness, "One of these days…"

"Why does this always seem to happen?" whispered Jeri sadly, staring at the ground. "There's always someone who thinks we shouldn't be friends. They think either humans are evil, selfish, violent beings or digimon are mindless, cruel, dangerous monsters. Why can't we be friends without every other person screaming it's wrong?"

Kari gave the brown-haired tamer an understanding look and nodded, "I know how you feel. This kind of distrust is silly. There are good and bad digimon, just as there are good and bad humans."

"And every shade of grey in between," added Ken.

"Guess this explains why we're here," Takato grinned. "We have experience with this sort of thing. Anti-human digimon and theoretical anti-digimon agencies. If we can stop the 'bug-zapper building' thing and convince the digimon not all humans are jerks, then we can save the day."

"Awesome, we have a game plan," grinned Davis.

T.K. shook his head, "That's a goal, not a plan. But it _is_ a start. Sounds like we'll need to divide our forces in order to handle the two problems."

"We're not done," Destiny interrupted, gaining her "prophecy update" expression.

The humans and digimon turned to the girl. While her hood didn't obscure her face as it did in the past, she still managed to gain her mysterious and knowledgeable presence. She looked like the shadowy figure who first spoke to the tamers from their D-arcs.

Turning to Ken, she smiled, "Digidestined of Kindness, you bridge the gap between the children of the crests and those who wield the D-3's, just as the Digidestined of Hope and Light do. But you never gained your full potential before you were pulled towards the darkness." The prophetess glanced at Gennai. "I believe…"

"Yes, your earlier self delivered the request," he nodded. "I already have what is needed." He gestured at the temple-like structure. "Most of it is inside your home, but _this_," Gennai reached into his pocket, "is waiting for its owner."

The girl stepped aside, "This is your reality, Gennai. It would be my honor to have you bestow this gift."

Ken and Wormmon exchanged confused looks. Every other member of the Digidestined gave a shrug, not sure what the young, robed man seemed to be implying and yet willing to trust him. The tamers seemed even more bewildered. Takato, though, bore a hopeful smile.

From within his blue robe, Gennai produced a necklace with a golden charm. In appearance, the vaguely teardrop shape seemed rather ordinary. The only feature was a transparent square in the center of the object. But the revealed necklace produced gasps from Tai, T.K., and Kari that Rika couldn't explain. Takato gave an excited laugh.

"A tag? He finally gets a tag," the goggle-wearing boy declared with a fan-boy level of excitement.

Carefully, the dark-haired boy took hold of the "tag." Rika stared as a small, pink, square tile-like object floated out of Ken's pocket. On it, a stencilized shape, vaguely rose-like, was engraved. In a flash of movement, the tile relocated to the clear section of the tag. It fit perfectly. Only at that point did her limited television knowledge kicked in and identified the tile as a crest.

Grinning like an idiot, Davis patted his friend on the back, "Way to go, Ken. Doesn't this mean you can use that thing to digivolve to ultimate? You know, without the DNA digivolution thing?"

"I… don't know," he blinked in surprise. "Maybe."

Takato, beginning to babble like a geek, announced, "I always wanted to see this on the show. I wonder what he can turn into now."

"Calm down, Goggle-head," ordered Rika. "You're going to die from excitement."

Ken finally nodded, "Thank you."

As the boy placed the tag and crest around his neck, Gennai turned to Destiny, "Remember that I said that you brought someone else? I'll bring them out, along with the rest of the items."

While the man vanished into the dark interior, an expression of satisfaction decorating his features, Jeri carefully asked, "Isn't that the building from _our_ digital world? The one in the desert?"

"It exists in all the digital worlds," explained Destiny. "Though its location and condition varies, it is one of the few constants for me. I believe that it was made simply to exist as a shelter for me during my missions. I… its home."

Sighing, Rika admitted, "Goggles, I hate having to ask you this, but you are the team expert on all things related to the show. Isn't Gennai supposed to be an old guy?"

"To start, he is not actually a human," the boy began describing. "He is a being of data like a digimon, without having attributes or attacks. Kind of the digital monster minus the monster part. And, yes, in the first season… about four or five years ago, he looked ancient. But between the first and second season, or during the four years between the fight against Apocalymon and when Davis, Yolei, and Cody gained partners, we end up with not only the younger him, but also multiple him versions that help deal with the larger number of digidestined. Like José and Benjamin." The pure fan boy enthusiasm from him invited mocking, but the red-head fought the urge. "There are theories his change of age and his copies or clones or whatever is connected, but I don't remember that being confirmed."

"You're just loving this," remarked Impmon. "It's one giant geeky field trip for you, isn't it Goggle-head?"

An innocent, child-like giggle interrupted the group. A cheerful glowing something flew out of the building, followed by Gennai. The whitish shape with long arms, a thin antenna, and beady black eyes floated across the clearing. It glided around, circling around the children and digimon curiously. Finally, the creature hovered in front of the dark-haired prophetess.

"It is an honor, Ancient One," she declared solemnly, bowing to the child-like being. "Your presence in this reality promises great things to come."

"Um… Could you explain… what that is?" requested Tai.

Agumon announced, "I don't think that's a digimon."

"It's a DigiGnome," smiled Henry, the being's happy nature contagious. "A wish granter. They're from our digital world."

"A wish granter? I wish for a…" began Davis before Rika slapped the side of his head.

"It isn't a genie. You don't get to try the whole health, wealth, and happiness routine on the thing," the girl scowled. "And don't try having it make Kari fall in love with you."

The boy blushed and muttered something that sounded like, "That would be cheating."

"Okay, but how did it get here," Terriermon asked.

"Destiny brought it with her," explained Gennai. "Or, she did in the past. Her distant past, but only a short time ago in actual time. She said that it would be necessary here for a while."

The DigiGnome giggled and proceeded to study the twins. The young pair seemed fascinated by the glowing creature. Mako tried to touch it before the digital being glided over to BigAgumon.

"But the last gift is for our visitors," Gennai remarked, looking at the tamers. "I know you are not from this reality. But you were brought to help. So to do so, you need new tools." He held up a collection of golden chains. On each one dangled a white, blank rectangle, exactly the same dimensions of a digimon card. "These are for you."

"What are they, Mr. Gennai?" asked Ai sweetly.

He smiled at the child, "Though their shape and design is based off of your reality, thanks to the DigiGnome's knowledge of this 'blue card,' its power is known well in this world."

"More riddles?" Impmon groaned. "Just spill it, gramps."

"Rather impatient, isn't he?" chuckled Gennai. "Very well." He handed each card necklace to a tamer. Mako put his and Ai's around his neck. Destiny blinked in surprise as she also received one. "These are, essentially, crests."

Silence followed this statement, only interrupted by the DigiGnome giggling as is circled BigAgumon. Finally, Takato burst out laughing.

"Kazu is going to die of jealousy. This is beyond unbelievable. Which ones are they?"

"They won't reveal their power until the time is right," the robed man (the robed digital being, Rika mentally corrected) explained. "And they are not any crest you are familiar with. The Crests of Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, Light, and Kindness, and the power that they hold, are part of the Digidestined who possess them. While a similar power is part of the Digi-eggs, Davis no more wields Tai's Crest of Courage than Yolei does Sora's Crest of Love. It cannot be taken from them."

"Until we handed the crests over to be used in protecting the digital world," Tai reminded.

Gennai smiled, "I think it is closer to 'borrow' that power. While you no longer hold the physical manifestation of the crests, and even lost the power for a time, the real power of the crests comes from within. It grows from your greatest traits that you display. In the years since you gave up your crests, that power has re-grown within you. Azulongmon only… helped it along so you could regain the ultimate level in time to help in the battles. You still are the source of your qualities."

"Kari is still Light, T.K. is still Hope," summarized Patamon. "And Tai is still Courage."

"And his hair is still huge," Impmon added.

"Wait, don't those crest things get you up to the ultimate level?" asked Terriermon. "In case you didn't know, I can do that and even do better."

The man-looking being explained, "I know. Just trust me when I say that the crests will serve you in the future." Looking at Destiny, he sighed, "You realize by now that you have a separate purpose than the others, don't you?"

She nodded slowly, "I know… I have to find the past ones. The original DigiDestined and their partners. While the others face the challenges to come, I'm supposed to remind and reunite the pairs and bring them for the coming fight."

"So, you're getting back-up," remarked Gatomon.

Destiny nodded, "It seems so."

"Riku…" whispered BigAgumon suddenly. "My… partner's name… is Riku."

The girl walked over and patted the oversized digimon, "We'll find him. You deserve to be together."

Rika felt a wave of pity sweep over her as she stared at the two individuals, both seeking lost friends. She sensed Renamon draw near and smiled at her tall partner. She couldn't imagine losing Renamon as Destiny had. Nor could being separated so long that memory faded of the fox-like creature be easy to endure.

"Destiny," the red-head called, catching the prophetess' attention. "Since it seems that we're going to be heading our separate ways soon and we won't see you for a while… good luck."

The blue-eyed girl's expression, so surprised and grateful, thanked Rika for the kind gesture far more than any words that the girl could ever speak. Even if she didn't trust Destiny, that didn't mean she couldn't sympathize with her.

**All right, I am bringing in so much stuff in this chapter. I know and understand this. I also feel that it opens so many possibilities. And it takes a large number of invented digimon.**

**One, there is never mentioned what Stingmon could become if it didn't DNA digivolve. If it used a crest, which Ken possessed, I doubt it would turn into Palidramon. I did find an ultimate that "looks" like it could be related, even if there is not any clear canon evidence. But half the stuff that they do in the video games doesn't make sense anyway (How in the world does Wormmon to Machinedramon make **_**any**_** logical sense?). So when I reveal its ultimate, keep in mind it**_** is**_** a real digimon, just not one that is necessarily connected to the Wormmon in the shows.**

**Two, the crests for the tamers are new traits than before. I would love your predictions of what crests they would get. They are not copies of the Digidestined's, so start guessing. These crests will not be for reaching the ultimate level (for the obvious reason that these digimon can reach and exceed that level already). Instead, they will initiate a mode change in the mega level. I thought it would be a useful way to incorporate crests into the tamers world (hence, the card shape to interact with the D-arcs) for some of my future plans. And in case you haven't guessed, those in the tamers' universe (Kazu, Kenta, Suzie, Yamaki, and Ryo) will also be getting crests. **_**Their**_** Destiny is the one who brought the DigiGnome to the Digidestined's universe, asked Gennai to help create the new crests, and then took half the crests with her back. (And, no, Calumon will not be digivolving. But, just as the crests can do more than just digivolve digimon [ Mimi's revived her after being knocked out by gas, Matt's healed Tai and WarGreymon in a fight with Piedmon, Joe's cut a hole in Myotismon's fog bank, and Ken's provided power for the Digimon Emperor's base and also created the Digi-egg of Miracles], there is the potential for these new crest to do more. There is no reason why Yamaki's can't have a different purpose than digivolution.) But try to guess the traits that represent the tamers. **

**Three, thank you for being patient with me. I will be checking in on the tamers' reality soon. I've been trying to get things caught up on this end of the story in order to keep a balance and not revealing things too soon. Your reviews are appreciated and keep me going.**


	22. Contracts

**I sorry about the wait, but I'm still getting back into the school schedule. But here is an update and I hope you like it. **

**Back to the tamer's universe. Hopefully things will go well there. As always, tell me what you think of my writing. I love feedback from my viewers. To start off, I shall check in on our amnesia-stricken tamer. And I shall bring in some interesting stuff from Hypnos.**

A dark cave, twisting downwards, seemed to be DemiDevimon's destination. Ryo and Monodramon eyed the black hole uneasily. If the boy remembered the human world at all, he'd have compared it to an entrance to the Underworld. The deep darkness seemed foreboding and sinister. The virus type assured them it was safe and the fastest way to their next target. Neither of the two digimon nor the human was prepared for a cloaked figure to step out of the shadows suddenly.

"Whoa!" shouted DemiDevimon, nearly tumbling out of the air in surprise. "Trying to give me a heart attack or something?"

"You require a heart to have an attack," the shape replied, a female voice emerging from beneath the hood. She seemed to be staring at the virus, but neither her eyes nor any of her face could be viewed. "I come to deliver a message to each of you, along with gifts to aid your coming ventures. But not all I have to say should fall upon all ears."

"Hey, anything you tell the kid, you tell me first," growled DemiDevimon possessively.

The figure asked, "Do you wish for all your secrets to be spilled out? If you do not wish to reveal everything that swirls behind your yellow eyes, you shall accept the gift of privacy for yourself, Ryo, and his partner. If you like, I shall speak to you first of the matters that you need to hear."

The bat glanced around uneasily. While the small digimon didn't trust the mysterious person, he did not like the idea of her blabbing _anything_ to his new little minions. But, the question was, what exactly did she know? Could she actually hurt his position?

"How much…?" he began.

"Devimon," interrupted the cloaked being, loading the single word with so much meaning and a hint of threat.

DemiDevimon blanched before muttering, "Let's talk then."

* * *

Miss Suzuki, after several difficult hours of trying to explain her concerns about Hypnos without sounding obsessive as the whispers about her suggested and lacking her documented proof from the agency, sighed with relief. Even without the proof, the red-haired woman finally convinced the men in charge that _maybe_ things at Hypnos might not be ideal.

Rather than marching down to the building and dramatically firing fifty percent of the corrupt employees, as the woman secretly hoped, Mr. Yamamoto decided on a video conference. Miss Suzuki requested to remain in the room on the condition that she remained silent. She couldn't wait to see their expression as the Hypnos group crumbled without their leader. She frowned at the memories of Yamaki's impudence, the white digital anomaly, and Kokoro's behavior the night before. Such embarrassment would not be tolerated. There would be vengeance and their power would be taken.

The screen came to life as Mr. Yamamoto settled into his chair comfortably. The dark-haired man seemed surprised that Yamaki wasn't on the screen. Miss Suzuki smirked as Tally and Riley greeted him. The two were little more than glorified secretaries, left to deal with their boss's absence. There couldn't be any possible way they could maintain the illusion that Hypnos' operation, and Yamaki's leadership, remained on track and in control of the situation.

"I would like to speak with Mr. Yamaki," the dark-haired man informed them. "There have been a few… complaints that there might be some irregularities down there. I would just like to straighten out a few things."

"I'm sorry, but he is unavailable," the brunette technician apologized. "We'd be happy to assist in clearing up anything that is concerning you."

Mr. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, "I see… There are a few concerns that Hypnos is no longer fulfilling its main purpose."

Another face appeared on the screen. A man, holding a stack of papers, sat down between Riley and Tally. Suzuki realized with a start that it was Hisao Olkowski from school. He looked tired but triumphant.

"I disagree with that statement, Mr. Yamamoto," he remarked. "My name is Olkowski and I'm a lawyer. I've been examining several documents for this agency and not only is Hypnos as a whole completing its objective, but Yamaki personally is fulfilling his duties in all his actions. In fact, there is no breach of contract that I can see."

"What?" gasped the red-head, her manicured hands balling into fists by her sides. "You can honestly stand there and claim that the… the _mockery_ that you're calling Hypnos is actually following that mission still?"

"Very easily, Kirai Suzuki," he nodded. "The original purpose of Hypnos was simply to deal with 'monitoring electronic communications.' Later, it gained the new responsibility of 'deterring digimon when they attempt to Bioemerge and to prevent it if possible.' Hypnos is not technically obligated to _destroy_ any digimon at any point."

"But…" she tried to interrupt, but the man continued smoothly.

"And, yes, Hypnos does its best to go beyond that rudimentary goal. It ensures that any digimon that appears in our world is dealt with effectively. And the most efficient methods of handling _any_ problem involve using the right tools for the job. Why fumble with unfamiliar situations when an expert is easy to find and far more skilled? That is why those like Janyu Wong and his friends were hired; they're experts in their field."

Yamamoto nodded understandingly, "True, there is nothing that states Hypnos must destroy digimon. I can see you have done your research, Mr. Olkowski. There are still a few other matters that Miss Suzuki raised." He glanced at the red-haired woman in her dark suit, glaring at the screen in disbelief and anger. "She's been trying to pass off this far-fetched story of…"

"He's using kids!" screeched the woman, pointing her finger accusingly at Riley and Tally. "Yamaki is encouraging those tamer kids to run into dangerous situations with unstable digital creatures. He trusts these children with the safety of our world instead of agents from Hypnos. He doesn't deserve to be running _anything!"_

The infuriated woman noticed that Yamamoto seemed frustrated by her continued interruptions. She knew that she was treading on thin ice, but her revenge against the absent blonde man seemed too close now. All she needed to do was convince at least Yamamoto. Once she gained this man's support, he'd help show the others in power the truth.

Olkowski took a deep breath, "No one would _force_ young children into dangerous situations. But there are extenuating circumstances. They seek out Bioemerged digimon on their own. Most of them also demonstrated their capability during the D-reaper incident. While Hypnos does not force the tamers into these battles, they do not stop them. Because, as bad as it may seem, they are the best at dealing with digimon."

"Don't forget," she snapped. "They are _children_. Parents and guardians make decisions of importance, not _them_. How can Hypnos allow young children to fight their battles, to fulfill their responsibility to stop these digital anomalies, and still claim to be following the best course? These _tamers_ should be prevented from being in such dangerous situations for their own safety, not allowed to run around unsupervised. If Yamaki actually approves and accepts this behavior, he is not only unfit to run Hypnos, but is also a danger to society!"

"Miss Suzuki, I gave you permission to sit in on this conference on the condition you remain silent," warned Yamamoto. "If you choose to interrupt again, you will be removed from this building and relieved of power until such time you can act in a responsible and calm manner."

Narrowing her eyes, the woman grew quiet. He'd just threatened to fire her, or rather suspend her temporarily. Her revenge would be incomplete if she couldn't gloat over Yamaki and possible take over his precious Hypnos. Unable to argue her views further, she resorted to glaring at the three individuals on screen.

Yamamoto, ensuring the red-head would not interrupt again, sighed, "At least one of her points is valid. If Yamaki is allowing or even encouraging those children to place themselves in dangerous situations, even if they commit these actions on their own regardless, there is a problem. They are not employees of Hypnos and making use of the resources of Hypnos by civilians is prohibited. If what Suzuki has told me is true, that the tamers are given near complete freedom to deal with Bioemerges as they see fit and even that they might be using information or other resources from Hypnos, there is reasonable cause to remove Yamaki from power."

Olkowski exchanged a look with Riley and Tally. Suddenly, Miss Suzuki wondered about the oddity of encountering two old schoolmates in two days, both supportive of Yamaki and Hypnos.

"I actually can explain why there is no problem," the lawyer declared calmly. He pulled out a small stack of paper. "True, they are legally too young to formally join any agency, nor could they claim any legal responsibility for their choices regarding digimon and Hypnos. Because of their age, important decisions lie with their legal guardians. That's why they signed these contracts _for_ their children."

"Contracts?" asked Yamamoto.

"Contracts of a partnership between the tamers and Hypnos. Written to protect the interests of both parties, it ensures that the children not only will he supervised in their dealings with Bioemerges, but also that Hypnos is responsible for their actions. It even has a clause included that it can be dissolved if the interests of both group no longer coincide," Olkowski explained. "The parents signed for their children. When they get older, they can choose to sign on to Hypnos officially. Until then, they are closer to unpaid volunteers or interns. They have many of the benefits of being an employee in regard to access and assistance, but without some of the higher responsibility or expectations that you require for official employees."

After several moments of silence, all while Suzuki stared at the screen awe-struck, Yamamoto shook his head in amazement, "You realize that we'll need to go over that agreement with our lawyers, of course. But… it sounds as if you have covered every legal angle you could for both sides. I just wonder if those parents know what they are agreeing to let their children do by signing that contract."

"I'll fax you copies immediately," the lawyer informed him. "And the parents do understand. But we agree that, not only can we not stop our children from trying to fulfill the responsibility they feel, if we _try_ to prevent them from placing themselves in dangerous situations, they'll only be more at risk. We'll agree to this arrangement because it will give our children help." He sighed softly. "And from what it seems to us, Mr. Yamaki does what is best for everyone. Someone else would not understand the full extent of situation. And Miss Suzuki," he smirked, "my wife, Kokoro, wishes to remind you to stay away from our family."

"You and her?" she shrieked, her mind finally connecting the last name of the lawyer, the name of two of the children's files, and the woman's extreme reaction at the mention of those specific kids. He, Kokoro, the kids, Ai and Mako, and the digital monster, Impmon, were together. "You married Kokoro? And you allow your children to interact with those _things_? I can't believe it."

"I asked you several times to be silent, Miss Suzuki," reprimanded a seriously annoyed Yamamoto. "Since you cannot control yourself, I'm now asking you to leave the room. I shall deal with you later."

Unable to think of anything to save herself, the red-haired woman slowly walked towards the door. Her high heels clicked on the floor as she stepped away. She glanced back one last time.

"I'll talk with the others, Mr. Olkowski," assured the dark-haired man. "They won't be happy, but their greatest concern is staying out of trouble with the public. Anything that can be covered legally, they wanted it. If it is of questionable legality, as was the original purpose of Hypnos, they want it hidden or easy to dispose of. In this case, it seems to be all three should be in effect."

"Secrecy of the children's involvement is problematic," remarked Riley, "but we intend to keep them low profile in some aspects."

Frowning to herself, Miss Suzuki closed the door and heard no more of the exchange. She was left with her thoughts and hatred.

* * *

Destiny, wrapped in her dark cloak, considered the rookie before her. The current mission required that she retrieved certain items of power from another reality, transport a Digi-Gnome to that reality, and now she needed to transport the crests to the tamers. The only problem with that was she now faced speaking to this troublesome virus. Actually, she needed to speak to three individuals that would be problematic.

DemiDevimon represented the possible imbalance to come. His future actions would create a threat to the human and digital worlds. Unfortunately, she could not discourage him. Rather, she'd be encouraging him.

Ryo, on the other hand, seemed more promising. He may not remember, but he spent much of his life tangled in the web of fate. Like her, the brown-haired boy found his way to other times and realities. This human deserved the crest to help him and his partner.

The partner of the Legendary Tamer was a real piece of interest. Monodramon seemed innocent and curious. But she knew that in his small form lay the awareness of a powerful digimon. That awareness, slumbering in the rookie's subconscious, would awaken upon reaching the ultimate level. There would be a blood-thirsty and violent personality emerging then, but the more concerning fact was predicting how Ryo and Monodramon would handle this awareness while lacking knowledge of _who_ and _what_ it was.

Sighing as the girl contemplated her upcoming conversations, not to mention visiting the other tamers; she turned her attention back to the conniving virus.

"DemiDevimon, I bring you news on your coming venture to gain power," she began. "I know what you seek. And you shall find that strength. 'The Bat shall become the End, his new form gained by the mislead servants. Though the Digimon King and the vessel of the Thousand Year Monster wish to be protectors, they will know not what they do until the time is too late.'"

"Okay, that sounds good," grinned the bat. "I get to win. Glad to hear it, whoever you are."

Destiny continued, "Be warned, however. 'The End shall end if he ignores the harmless. The small and meek is not the weak. The youngest of mind and form hold the power to stop the threat. Defeat comes from the least expected quarters.'"

The virus blinked in surprise, "That's it? A weird cloaked figure shows up, spouts gibberish about me winning, and then adds a riddle about someone being dangerous to me without any real information? Who can stop me? Come on, fill me in."

She shook her head slowly, "That is all I have for you. Just take heed of what I've told you. Now, do not listen to the others' words. If you try, I will share your secrets."

Glaring at her, DemiDevimon shot into the tree. Destiny couldn't tell Ryo and Monodramon about their death and who caused it anyway. It would disrupt the prophecy. But the heartless viral rookie didn't know that.

* * *

"Look, I just want to know how to get out of here," groaned Kenta. "Do any of you know how to get to the forest level?"

"Nope, nope," grinned the bluish-purple digimon. He looked like a tadpole with small claw-hands and a couple pointy teeth. Its large fin-tail propelled it through the water easily. And it swam with two more of its kind. "Why would we go there? It isn't wet enough."

The boy, moaning in frustration, checked his D-arc. "Otamamon; an amphibian digimon. This virus type uses its Stun Bubble to blast its opponents out of the water."

"No good," sighed MarineAngemon as the strange digimon swam off. "Pii pii pu-pii."

"I know, but someone has to know how to get out of here," the tamer answered, kicking his legs to swim closer to his partner. "Even if these rookies are nice, the higher level digimon are more likely to attack. Asking these guys is dangerous, after all."

"Pii pii. Pii pii pipii!" the pink mega remarked.

Kenta frowned, "I'm not a coward and I _know_ you're a mega. That doesn't mean I plan to go ask the tougher digimon anyway. Why cause more problems than we have already. Even if you think you can handle it, forgetting for a moment that you're better at support than direct combat, I don't think I could help you enough to risk a confrontation."

The aquatic mega glared scoldingly at the boy, "Destiny. Pii pii, pu-pii pii pii."

"I understand Destiny told me not to doubt myself like that and not to stay in the background. I know I'm supposed to have confidence. But you and I both know that my card abilities are miniscule. Let's try to be realistic about my capabilities."

"Pii pii."

"Fine, next digimon. No matter the level or demeanor, we'll ask. I just hope it doesn't eat us," declared the tamer. "I'm not a coward."

**Okay, let me know what you think. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try to get back into my usual updating schedule. Until then, please review.**


	23. Secrets

**Okay, I had some difficulty with this chapter. But that's okay because I did get it eventually. I don't know why I had difficulty however. I hope you enjoy it. It is a little short though.**

Ryo watched the cloaked figure return from her conversation with DemiDevimon. The bat had seemed uneasy at first around her, but not enough not to listen. In fact, the mysterious person caused him to follow her because of one word. There was no way to judge her expression because of her hood and she did not choose to share her thoughts. She merely gestured for the boy to join her.

Monodramon looked uncomfortable at the tamer leaving his sight. Ryo smiled in a reassuring fashion to the purple reptilian digimon. He didn't remember her or anything like that. The human just felt he should hear her.

"Ryo Akiyama, Legendary Tamer, Digimon King," she greeted. The names, all of them, echoed in his mind. In his lost memories. "I know that your past is shrouded in mystery and all you want are answers. But beware false thoughts you may hold. Not everything is as it seems."

"Please, who are you?" he interrupted anxiously. "What do you know of who I am?"

"You may call me Destiny, but that is unimportant," answered the cloaked shape. "I am here to deliver a message and a gift." She held out a necklace with a white rectangle attached. The rectangle looked like a blank digimon card, unadorned by pictures or writing. Ryo took it and placed around his neck. "When the time comes, the power within you shall be unleashed. This crest will unlock and harness that strength. Both that power and your memories wait within yourself."

He nodded slowly, studying the rectangle. He tried to slide it through his D-arc experimentally, but it wouldn't work. The boy turned his attention back to Destiny. Her name seemed important. Not only did he feel he'd heard it before, but the concept of destiny and fate seemed important to him.

"Now take heed of what I say, Ryo, 'Foes may wear the guise of friends and blind the eyes from knowing the truth. Lies and deceit spin a web, but Loyalty can make one see true allies. The past seems lost, but memories are closer than they seem.'"

Turning the words over in his head, the boy considered their meaning. Someone was going to try to trick him by pretending to be a friend, but if he remained loyal he'd know his real ones. Monodramon had to be a real friend, but DemiDevimon…

"Who's 'Devimon' and what does he have to do with him?" Ryo asked, pointing back in the direction of the bat rookie.

"Devimon was a murderous monster," answered Destiny. "DemiDevimon knew him before his destruction. He just wishes to keep his past to himself for his own reasons."

The tamer frowned at her excuse, but nodded slowly. He didn't know why someone would want to hide their past, but he couldn't even remember most of his. Maybe secrets and things like that were just part of having a history. After all, Floramon didn't tell him he was human. Who knows what other secrets she hid.

"If you say so," sighed the boy.

"Don't worry, though," she added. "In the end, what must happen shall happen. You cannot escape it."

"I never could escape my fate," muttered Ryo, unsure why these words came to him.

* * *

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" Mrs. Olkowski remarked.

Riley jerked in surprise and glanced around. No one else was in hearing range. They were on computers or in conversations of their own. Even Tally had vanished somewhere. The parent stared at the technician expectantly.

"I don't know what…" the brown-haired woman began.

"Mitsuo Yamaki," she interrupted. "You're worried about him and not just as your boss or friend. Don't deny it, Ms. Ootori. I can always see things like this more clearly than others. I may not have known you long, but I am not blind to what is perfectly clear on your face when someone speaks his name."

Riley blushed. She didn't think that her feelings for him were that obvious. They tried to keep everything professional at Hypnos and in public. The only one who seemed to have a clue, except for Tally's occasional looks of "If you two don't hurry up, I'm going to take action by trapping you together until he proposes," was Calumon. He'd once asked her if she was married to Yamaki since she was always at his house and she would stare at him like she wanted to swallow his head (a little questioning clarified he was referring to when he saw a couple making out). The technician solved that problem by explaining that they weren't married, she was just nice to him, and she distracted him away by asking the small digimon to draw a picture. Calumon instantly forgot his question as he babbled about his drawing. Yamaki's fridge now bore various crayon doodles courtesy of the hyper digimon.

"I do like him" she admitted slowly, "and I am worried. I don't know if I'll ever see him again."

Mrs. Olkowski sighed, "I understand what it's like to not know if someone you love is alive or dead. To sit at home feeling helpless. To worry that you may never hold them again."

Now the woman felt guilty. Most of the people here seemed to be in the same boat with people they care about missing. This mother didn't even know if her twin four year olds would ever come home.

"I'm sorry," she tried to apologize, but one more the parent interrupted.

"Don't be. I have faith that Impmon will bring my children home. Just as I have faith your loved one will return. But I think you need to consider what you will do then."

Riley blinked, "What do you mean?"

"Do you love him? And he, you?"

After a few moments, she nodded, "I think so, yes."

"Do you think that will ever change?"

"I…" Riley frowned. "No… I don't think I'd ever leave him. Even after everything that's happened, I still stand with him."

"If you both love each other and desire no one else," commented Mrs. Olkowski, "why do you not make it official?"

"He's never asked," she muttered.

"And let me guess," sighed the married woman. "He always wants to be in control of everything. He doesn't like not having that control." When Riley nodded, she explained to the technician, "That's the problem. Love is uncontrollable, indescribable, and unbelievable. It takes faith rather than logic and planning to handle. He's afraid of it because it is out of his hands. Men fear commitment. Goodness knows I had my problems with Hisao in the early days."

She smiled," He is uncomfortable with the unpredictable. But having Calumon around is helping with that."

"Impmon has mentioned the 'creampuff' to me before. The important thing is that you help him to see what is right in front of him. If he doesn't take the initative himself, you should confront him. Ask him yourself rather than waiting for Yamaki to work up the nerve."

"I don't know," muttered Riley.

"Oh come on," shouted Tally abruptly. "You two belong together."

Glancing over, the brown-haired technician noticed not only had her friend rejoined them, but that the conversation with Mrs. Olkowski was now the center of attention. All the Monster Makers stared at them with a goofy smile on each of their faces. Riley glared at them.

"None of you have heard of a private conversation before, have you?"

"Riley, we've been waiting for you guys to stop dancing around each other for ages," remarked Tally. "Listen to what she says. If Yamaki won't propose to you, then you should propose to him."

* * *

The third member of the group concerned her the most. But Destiny tried to hide it. She led Ryo back to his partner, the look on his face demonstrating that the tamer was still suspicious of her and now DemiDevimon. If he viewed the bat as being less than trustworthy, she saw no problem.

"Ryo, I will now speak with your friend privately. When he returns, he may look and act differently," she informed him. "But your partner is still inside him even through the change."

"He's digivolved before. From Hopmon and Ketomon before that," the boy glared. "I'm not stupid."

"The change will be greater this time," explained the hooded figure, knowing the change in personality would be far stranger than could be expected.

"I can hear you guys, you know," grumbled Monodramon.

The cloaked figure stepped over and placed her fabric-covered arm on the purple rookie. Silently, she led him away from the boy. DemiDevimon flapped his way to the child, likely wanting to question the tamer about the conversation with Destiny. She put the pair out of her mind. She needed to remain focused.

She stopped a decent distance from the cave entrance where Ryo and the virus waited. Destiny palmed her crystalline D-arc I her hand. Even without a partner, the device could be used in a variety of ways. But it wouldn't be able to completely stop the power she would be about to unleash if needed. All she could hope is her assumptions were correct and that he was in a good mood.

"I'm sorry for what I'm about to do to you," she sighed, pulling out her D-arc and bathing him in light.

The small, purple, reptilian digimon vanished, leaving a metal covered, predator creature. His eyes were hidden, but the sense of a hungry glare remained. The digimon's name was Cyberdramon, but that wasn't who she addressed.

"Welcome back to awareness, Thousand Year Monster," she remarked respectfully. "I assume that as a manipulator of space and time, you know who I am."

The voice that emerged from the ultimate was not his usual one. This one was silken and cultured, rather than blood-thirsty. But he still bore a hint of cruelty.

"I do, child. A tool for prophecies and no will of your own. I've heard hints of your existence. And unlike Monodramon and _my_ partner, I do not forget. Your meddling led to their deaths."

"Not yet. I have not in my memory committed such an act," she reminded.

"Details, mere details. But _I_ recall. Ryo may not wish to acknowledge our partnership, but I am still his partner. Monodramon is just a mere substitute. The tamer wished to play the part of a 'normal' person and that digimon is far less noticeable than I."

"But neither remember you currently," glared the girl. "You could try to influence them or gain the sympathy of Ryo without having your history to work against you. And considering whom you are, I know you shall."

The grin aimed at her was neither friendly nor comforting. The mouth possessed far too many teeth to pull that off. The voice did not deny her words.

"What I chose to do is not your concern, girl. Even if you may be knowledgeable of prophecies and have a few parlor tricks, I am beyond your power to stop. Only Ryo could ever turn me from my aims. Not even the Four Harmonious Ones or Sovereigns can defeat my power."

"I would not dare try to defeat you through brute force on my own," Destiny admitted. "I would be easily destroyed in the attempt. But I have given Ryo the tools to quiet you. His crest is not only his greatest strength, but also the trait that allowed him to keep facing the same powerful being. Because if he did not hold that power in his heart, he would not intrigue you nearly as much. Isn't that right, _Milleniummon_?"

"Crests are simply a name and physical manifestation for a power a handful of children hold. They are nothing but toys of the digidestined children who don't know how to use them to their full potential," he scoffed. "I am 'intrigued,' as you put it, because he is my partner."

"But his strength of character is _why_ you want him as a partner," suggested the cloaked girl. She knew arguing with a powerful digimon, even one in another's body, was stupid. But she'd done it before (she thought…) and lived. "Even if you and Ryo are like yin and yang, light and dark, or the classic good and evil, he can only handle your influence properly if he knows who he is dealing with. The crest will keep your personality dormant unless he wishes to communicate with you. It can affect you because it is _his_ power."

"But his crest is not active," reminded the creature lurking in Cyberdramon's mind. "If it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation, child."

"No, but I have a theory," she smirked. "You have been respecting Ryo's wishes to have Monodramon as his partner and for you to leave him alone. Other than having a less socially acceptable personality as Cyberdramon, your influence on their lives has been minimal lately. You even stood by as Justimon sacrificed himself because you knew that was the boy's choice. That and it wouldn't kill him permanently. You believe that if you act this way and do not influence him, he will someday willing accept you as a partner. Correct?"

The soft chuckling that came from his mouth sent chills up her spine, "Clever little girl, aren't we? Yes, I have hope that Ryo will in time realize that I am his true partner and will cease this foolish attempt to deny that. But until he is ready, I am willing to wait. I have time."

"Would it not be encouraging to him to learn that you did not try to take advantage of him while his memories are gone? He may actually begin to trust you somewhat," she suggested.

"Unlikely," he snorted. "That boy is very stubborn. But I see no harm in leaving him alone for now. Ryo will eventually accept that he and I are fated together."

Releasing a sigh of relief, the girl nodded, "While I can neither confirm nor deny that this shall come to pass, I know that your discretion is best for all. I take it you shall go back to this digimon subconscious."

"Of course, girl," he agreed. "But before I leave you, I want to wish you the best of luck spending eternity in _solitude_."

Destiny stiffened. She knew he was referring to Fate, but she refused to respond to his words. A moment later, a more guttural growl came from the digimon. Cyberdramon had regained control of his body with no memory of the conversation between her and the powerful creature. Taking a deep breath to calm herself after the last comment, she glanced at the ultimate.

"Cyberdramon, listen carefully," she ordered. "Things may seem different now. Unlike as a rookie, your personality is more aggressive. I cannot explain why that change is so great right now, but trust me that you will be more dangerous to those around you. The most important thing to remember is to listen to Ryo instead of your new killer instincts."

He kept growling threateningly, but nodded after a moment, "Ryo."

* * *

"I spy with my little eye," recited Kazu boredly, "something black."

"Might I remind you approximately half of this town is black while the rest is white?" his partner remarked. "If I recall the rules of the particular game, the hints are supposed to eliminate the majority of the options. Could you have chosen a more precise clue?"

"Nope," he grinned. "Guess."

"That cobblestone," suggested the robotic digimon.

The tamer shook his head sharply. They ended up wandering the monochromatic town, hoping to encounter someone besides the creepy Knightmon up at the castle. In order to pass the time, the boy had suggested a game. "I Spy" worked best when they took a break from walking while "Name that Song" went better while moving. Guardromon wasn't as good at recognizing songs before Kazu introduced him to his unnatural wide selection back home. He still thought the tamers should have a karaoke party sometime (though Rika had threatened to kill him if he tried it).

"Very well, is it _that_ cobblestone?" Guardromon guessed.

"This could take a while," Kazu sighed.

**Shorter than usual, but I wrote it out now. I imagined Milleniummon's voice as similar to one I'd imagine for Dracula: cultured, charming, and deadly. And next time, it will be back at the Digidestined universe. Feedback is always appreciated and wanted.**


	24. Memories

**Another chapter on the way! Again, it's kind of short, but it has some interesting information in it. I'm going to start dropping hints again on things to come. And I'll have some flashbacks, as well as the mystery enemy. I hope you like it and hope that you start guessing.**

"No way am I dragging four year olds through the digital world when something is trying to kill us," Impmon growled. "Again!"

Takato sighed, "Fine, we need you to show us the 'bug-zapper building' since your idea of directions is 'three blocks past the noodle cart with the lazy security, turn left past where that one girl nearly got her braces caught in her boyfriend's and continue that way until you reach the roof with three lost Frisbees.' But it's not like you'd be on your own this time in the digital world anyway."

"I wasn't supposed to be on my own _last time_. I can take care of myself, but that doesn't mean I'm excited to let my tamers turn into a spider's supper while any back-up is who knows where. If we're facing an aggressive threat in both worlds, I'll pick the one that doesn't involve leading these two into the largest number of ticked-off digimon possible. So, Ai and Mako are going back to Hairball's place and I'll take care of the 'bug-zapper.' Got it, Goggle-head?"

The combined group of digidestined and tamers faced the daunting task of dividing into teams. Half would return to the human world to handle the problems on that front while the other half would deal with things in the digital one. In addition, the common view seemed to be that it would not be ideal to send the tamers into either world unguided. Thus, members of both groups would make up the new teams.

"Okay, Impmon, Ai, and Mako are headed back," muttered Rika. "Renamon and I are staying. We have a rematch with Marsmon planned."

Tai shrugged, "I guess Agumon and I could go with Impmon and the twins to the human world. Takato, do you…"

"Of course I'll come," exclaimed the boy, causing Rika to roll her eyes.

"I suppose," Jeri suggested, "that I'd do better in the human world. Unless you mind, Leomon?"

The champion shook his head, "Where ever you choose to go, I shall follow."

"Since Izzy and Tentomon is still back home, I think that should be enough," remarked Davis.

"Which means you can spend some more time with Rika," Terriermon snickered, watching the boy turn pale.

"Better than dealing with all three goggle-heads," the red-haired girl muttered. "But if you annoy me, you shall suffer."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," frowned Impmon, "but I only count two losers with goggles. Unless the Winged-Hog is hiding them with his big ears," he grinned gesturing at Patamon.

"Tai passed his goggles on to Davis," Takato explained. "Kind of passing on leadership to a new generation, I guess."

"Great, goggle-headism is contagious," the virus groaned.

"If you have decided," remarked Destinty, "I will open a portal back to the human world for you. Then, I shall begin the search for the original DigiDestined and their digimon."

"And Riku," BigAgumon nodded.

"Best of luck with that, Dee," grinned the purple rookie. "I have enough digi-dorks to deal with, personally, but if you want more… Have fun with that scavenger hunt."

With a slight smile, the prophetess produced her D-arc and created the rainbow-colored portal. The Digidestined still felt impressed by the trick. Tai, Takato, the twins, Jeri, and their partners stepped through and vanished. Davis shot Rika an uneasy glance.

"Uh… Maybe we should split up further," he suggested. "To cover more ground."

"Coward," the red-head muttered.

Ken commented, "Since Wormmon and Veemon can only reach the ultimate level together…"

"So far," reminded Terriermon.

"It makes sense for us to remain in the same group," he continued.

"Fine, I'll go with you two," sighed Henry.

The rabbit digimon snickered, "That way Rika doesn't murder Davis."

"Terriermon…"

"Momentai, Henry," he responded.

Gatomon grumbled, "He's as bad as the troublesome virus. Kari, we're not going with him, are we?"

"No, I think we're going with T.K., Patamon, Rika, and Renamon," the Digidestined of Light answered.

As the digital world team divided in half, the prophetess and BigAgumon began to walk away. The pair seemed to meld into the undergrowth, which was a startling feat for the large, orange dinosaur. Davis, after a few moments of contemplation and thankfulness that he'd be escaping Rika, turned towards his new teammates.

"What in the world does 'momentai' mean?"

* * *

Reunions in the near future seemed promising, but they were for another. Five humans and five digimon would soon be back together, and yet she still had little idea of how to find her own partner.

Destiny glanced up towards the oversized rookie. He, at least, seemed happy. His memories of the boy would be returning slowly. And being reunited would undoubtedly assist in that effort. BigAgumon's goal was in sight.

Hers seemed so far. Fate didn't appear to be any closer to being returned. As far as she could tell, memories were the key. The digimon needed to remember their humans. The humans needed to remember their responsibility. And she… needed to remember… something.

Memory was so difficult for the prophetess. How could she find the right one? She couldn't even recall a fraction of her life.

Start somewhere and hope for the best was her only plan on the matter. And since she was seeking about for other digimon, she could pass the time by searching for the key to the past.

"**And moving one egg is all we need to do?" Fate asked suspiciously. "Are you sure you aren't just getting lazy?"**

**Under her hood, she smiled, "I'm sure. It's all a question of nature versus nurture. If this little guy stayed where he was, he'd grow up in a very malevolent environment. He'd be raised to be a monster like the rest." She shifted the light green-spotted egg in her arms. "Since they need all…"** …for a moment, the word faded away before returning back to audible range… **"…the loss of one is enough to change things."**

"**Well, not to sound cruel or anything, Dee," commented the shorter cloaked figure, "but why move the egg? Wouldn't just killing off one when they hatch work just as well?"**

**She sighed, "No, it won't. Even if you destroy one, the…" **…Memory failed again for the moment. The details of the event faded until the conversation shifted… **"…and isn't it better to give him a chance? He could live a completely different life, despite what he could have become."**

"**So you're giving him a chance to actually be useful to the worlds rather than a threat," smirked the virus. "You have far too much faith in the guy before he even hatches. He may not turn into what he's supposed to, but I think that his base programming will come out eventually."**

**Destiny stopped and stared, "You know, as well as I do, that even the tiniest thing can change the course of history. Why is it so hard to believe that a single digimon can become more than he is supposed to have been? Given the right chance, anything can occur and anyone can be saved."**

"**Fine, fine," he surrendered. "Let's drop the little bundle of joy off. Maybe he'll get killed off quickly and this thing won't come back and bite us.**

"**Fate," she groaned. "He deserves to have a life and be happy. He deserves to be more than just another piece of the puzzle."**

"**Like us?" sighed the digimon. "We're not more than that."**

"**We will be… someday."**

She shook her head at the memory. While it seemed important in its own way, that scene didn't seem to be the right one.

The next digimon she sought wasn't far. In fact, she was likely watching the progress of Destiny and the rookie. While at least two were back in the Primary Village, one was in this forest. The girl shot a look upwards and caught a glimpse of white.

"Wait a moment, BigAgumon," she instructed. "Another friend of yours is here."

* * *

Going through the files by hand was not only tiring, but monotonous. While some of the files of DADP were on a secure computer system, many of the more sensitive pieces of information were on hardcopy. Just part of the paranoia about the "digital creatures," Mizutani assumed. It just meant that examining the intelligence about the children caught up in the dangers of digimon would take a while.

She pulled out the next file. A girl named Noriko Araki had been paired with a baby digimon named Punimon for six months. She'd been among a small group of children kidnapped between Christmas and New Year's Eve. They all returned with digimon. While she'd work well if they needed a candidate for a short-term interaction, they wanted to see the greatest effects possible. Thus, she needed one with a longer relationship. She set the file away.

The next one read "Sora Takenouchi." Inside, a red-haired girl about fourteen years in age smiled out of the picture. This individual had been one of the longest partnered children they possessed records of. Her digimon was a pink bird-like creature named Biyomon. Mizutani narrowed her eyes at the avian being. It seemed so familiar and yet wrong. The color was too gaudy and intense. It should be more pure and soft…

…**A pair of honey-golden eyes blinked as a soft, female voice greeted, "Nice to meet you, Ta…"…**

…**Softness wrapped around her, hugging the girl…**

…**A boy with tall, spiky hair grinned, "Come on, it'll be awesome. Together we can beat…"…**

…**The hat pulled over her blond hair was yanked off by a small, blue creature. Growling, she reached out…**

… "**But I don't like that cave," a young boy with black hair mumbled. "It's creepy. You go first, Tsu…"…**

… "**I promise," a soft voice whispered. "We'll see each other again. You're my friend, Ta…"…**

… "…**Mom, it was real," she asserted, her stormy-grey eyes flooded with frustrated tears. "I know it was. It wasn't a dream. She promised…"…**

The young woman snapped out of her dazed-state. Each short glimpse was no more than a hint of her past hallucination. She knew the surge of emotions that were part of the long-gone dream, even after the specifics were lost. Each time these fleeting hints tried to bother her, she'd feel joy, fear, a sense of familial love, sorrow, loss, and a lingering feeling of betrayal. But only the last event, when she tried to convince her mother she wasn't lying about her hallucination, was a real memory. The rest was a fake. Taking a deep breath, she repeated the same phrase that her entire life from the dream seemed to revolve around: the things she dreamt are false and everything that is connected should be forgotten. Mizutani pushed the images away.

The file, kept up to date by the diligent members of DADP, noted that the girl was out of town for a sports event. Even if the bright pink creature happened to still be at the child's residence, Mr. Konishi wanted to examine both the human and digimon halves of the team. She set the file aside.

Before she examined the next possibility, she opened her desk drawer. The bottle of pills rested, waiting for her. She really should take the medication. If the dream was intruding on her again, she should take care of it. Her grey eyes remained locked on the bottle, refusing to acknowledge the other object in the drawer nearly hidden beneath the papers. Taking the pills would sooth her, take away the hallucination, and cloud her mind, but she didn't want to blur her world away.

"Not yet," she sighed, closing the drawer.

The next file held a photograph of a boy with spiky hair. The image reminded her of the flashes from her remembered hallucination, but it was a different one. Tai Kamiya was another child who'd known his digimon for over four years. His partner, Agumon, seemed strangely small, but she shrugged it off. As she scanned further down, Mizutani realized this would be the perfect target. In a single household, two children were partnered. Tai and his sister, Kari, offered a prime opportunity to collect multiple digimon with the least amount of time and effort.

She grinned, "Perfect. It's time to begin rescuing the children from themselves and their addiction to these digital monsters. Agumon and Gatomon will only cause you harm."

A distant echo in the back of her mind whispered sorrowfully. It was her younger self, crying softly. While the young woman didn't know why the nearly-forgotten dream was trying to return, she knew where the voice was from. How many times did she cry over her hallucination until she accepted it for what it was? Fake. Her greatest pain, even worse than being called crazy by all her friends and family, was her insistent clinging to the dream. Imagining the suffering that these children would feel because of these creatures must have reminded her of the sorrow she'd felt.

"**You promised," she wept quietly. "You promised that we'd see each other again. I know it was real. Wasn't it?"**

"No," the woman stated harshly. "It was never real."

* * *

_He knew that his companion was speaking to the digimon sent after the humans. While Dianamon, Valkyrimon, and Marsmon were powerful megas, he knew that the power held by the Digidestined was impressive. After all, they defeated him twice and left him near dead. He was too powerful to have been defeated by anything less than the most commanding and dangerous of them. And he would not lose again._

_He currently dwelled in between the human and digital world, biding his time as his one-time rescuer prepared to isolate the two worlds. The gullible fool listened to his words about the nature of man. And when he mentioned the work of DADP, the vaccine accepted that humans were a threat to digimon._

_So, while the oblivious but well-meaning digimon tried to break apart the fragile connection between humanity and digimon, he prepared to destroy both. Guardian would be his secret weapon, once the hidden programming was activated. That was why he was waiting in the information stream between the two worlds. While DADP's systems were fairly isolated, he'd included a secret entrance in his prize program. He could examine the files and watch the progress of his plan._

_His companion joined him in his contemplations, "There were new digidestined than those you described. According to my allies, three of them combined with their human partners to become megas. You never mentioned this before."_

"_See, they enslave the digimon further," he hissed. "They enter the poor digimon's very minds. They control their bodies. Not only do many wish to destroy us, but now the others seek new ways to use us. We must do what must be done to prevent this. You handle your part and I'll handle mine."_

"_I will," the loyal vaccine nodded. "But I still don't know what you are doing here…"_

"_I am simply assuring that in the end, humans and digimon will never interact again," he grinned._

* * *

**Okay, people out there: I want predictions. Who is the mystery enemy? What is going on in the story that you only have hints so far? What's up with Tamiko Mizutani? I want to hear what you have to say. I love reviews and I love predictions both. The more you give me of them, the happier I'll be. Questions are also useful because they tell me where to clarify when it comes to the plot. Feedback is the only way I'll know what you think.**


	25. Heading Out

**Okay, newsflash: I am making a change to "Destiny"!!! I repeat, I am changing an important detail to my story, "Destiny" and it will affect things later in this one. Specifically, I am changing Leomon's Biomerged form. Rather than the quadruped SaberLeomon that is so commonly used, I have decided to use one that I found only after I finished "Destiny." For now on, they combine into Regulumon, a more humanoid mega form. I went back to chapter 22 and 23 of that story and made the changes. You can go back and read that if you like. **

**After I finish writing this, I intend to go through that story and edit it entirely. Likely, I'll add more scenes and create more detail to it, but the events that do occur will remain the same. This change of mega form will probably be the only major change. Hope that the change from SaberLeomon to Regulumon doesn't bother you too much.**

**Now that I have that out of the way, I want to say that I truly appreciate my loyal readers. I enjoy the wonderful feedback and hope you enjoy all the things to come.**

"Okay, I understand now why less than half of you guys are back and everything," remarked Izzy. "Now, Tai could you get off me?!"

The portal opened by Destiny lead the group into the Digidestined of Knowledge's room. Unfortunately, the group of humans and digimon were packed into the small room tightly, similar to how the larger group was crowded in the living room earlier. In the process, Leomon was holding Jeri and perched on the bed, Impmon and his partners were crammed in the corner, and Tai had tumbled on top of the red-head genius.

"Sorry, Izzy," mumbled the goggle-head, pushing himself off and nearly tripping over Guilmon. "Next time, we'll try to have a better return point."

"One with more room," added Agumon, pinned between Tentomon and Takato.

"Maybe we could take this into the living room?" Jeri suggested. "There should be enough space there."

Izzy nodded, "Perfect idea. Who's closest to the door?"

"Me," Ai declared, raising her hand.

"Can you open it please?" asked Guilmon. "I'm feeling squished in here."

The young girl grabbed the doorknob and turned. Moments after the door opened, the humans and digimon tumbled out of the room. Mrs. Izumi blinked in surprise as a tangle of children and dinosaurs joined her in the living room. A second later, the familiar insect and his reddish-brown haired partner poked their heads out.

"Hi…," the boy waved uneasily. "Did I mention that some friends were coming over?"

"Hi, Mrs. Izzy's mom," Mako added. "We went to visit an old guy and he was in the digital world. But we came back afterwards because there are bad guys here too."

"So we're going to help here while Renamon, Rika, Henry, Terriermon, and the other, new people take care of the bad guys in the digital world," finished Ai.

The woman sighed and looked at Izzy, "I just have two questions. One, is that a giant lion in your bedroom? Two, something is coming and you will be involved whether I like it or not, aren't you?"

The boy glanced at where Leomon was trying to squeeze through the door. The large leonine digimon seemed resigned to the fact that buildings were not designed to accommodate him. Jeri looked particularly sorry for her partner's predicament.

"Well… yes, it is," the Digidestined of Knowledge nodded. "And for the second question… quite likely. I know you'll worry, but we do have a responsibility."

"Yeah," piped up Ai. "We're good guys and have to save the day."

"And from what I've learned, what we're dealing with is not a dangerous digimon or anything like that," he continued. "While the others deal with that sort of thing in the digital world, we're actually just handling a more human and far less violent problem. There should be almost no threat to us."

She looked uneasy still, but replied, "If you say so, Izzy. I don't suppose there is any way I can help or anything."

"Sure, toots, I got something you could do," grinned Impmon. "Drop the munchkins off at the Hairball's house," he suggested, pointing at Tai.

This idea provoked a flurry of protest from his tamers. The purple rookie gave the pair a mild glare that told the young pair that they weren't going to change his mind, no matter how they pleaded. As the twins fell silent, the virus digimon explained his reasoning.

"All I'm going to be doing is showing the guys a building across town. No psycho digimon, no zombie programs reaching out from beyond the grave, and not even a ticked off Rika or Renamon. The biggest problem will be a couple of grumpy humans and a weird building I don't plan to touch. But I don't see any reason to make you walk across the city if you don't need to and, since digimon creep out a few idiots, you're not getting a ride from Beelzemon. The fact is that it's a boring recon mission and the only reason I'm going is because these guys wouldn't be able to find it. So, you two can hang out and wait for something more interesting. Deal?"

The two brown-haired children exchanged looks. If Impmon thought that he would be safe, then he probably would be alright. Memories of him being hurt and they unable to help stayed in the back of their minds, along with the knowledge that he'd almost disappeared away forever. Still, they had high confidence in his abilities and it didn't _sound_ dangerous. And if he wanted them to wait, they would. Besides, Jeri and Leomon would be there too and they'd help him if there was trouble.

"Okay, Impmon," the young girl sighed. "But you be really, really careful. Please?"

He grinned, "When am I not?"

"Well, my mom should be home all day and I don't think she'll mind watching you two," commented Tai. "Just don't eat her spinach cookies, beef jerky shakes, or anything else she offers."

"And you two listen to what the Hairball's mom says," instructed the purple rookie. "Because your mother will kill all three of us. It's Ai's turn to pick the game, but no dress-up or tea party. And don't do anything I _would_ do. Got it, munchkins?"

As the twins nodded, Guilmon asked, "Why are you talking like Takatomon's mom?"

"Pineapple-head, don't make me hurt you," sighed Impmon.

"Alright, I'll walk them over to the Kamiya household," Mrs. Izumi agreed, indicating for the young pair to follow her. "It _is_ best to keep children this age out of these things."

She led them out the front door, the twins protesting they were big enough to help out. As soon as the door closed, Izzy turned towards Tai.

"Okay, according to you, Gennai thinks there's an organization that could be related to the government that is attempting to… I don't know, stop digimon from being here?" He was trying to confirm everything he'd heard while buried under the spiky-haired boy. New crests, a DigiGnome, anti-human digimon and vice-versa, "bug-zapper" building, the original DigiDestined, and every other surprising piece of information flew through his mind as he tried to fit it together with what he'd learned in their absence. "Develop weapons? Destroy the digital world?"

"If it's anything like Hypnos," grumbed Takato, "probably all of the above."

"Prodigious," Izzy breathed in stunned horror. "If they are, then what I've learned promises to be really bad."

"When is it not," reminded Tai.

The reddish-brown haired youth pulled out his laptop and explained, "When I sent out an e-mail to all the digidestined asking if they'd noticed anything strange or out of the ordinary lately, a few mentioned very similar experiences. They were dragged to a meeting of PAD…" He noticed the confused look of the tamers and their digimon and clarified, "Parents Against Digimon, a group protesting children being partnered to digimon. But the kids were dragged there where they tried to separate the partners."

"That's barbaric," gasped Jeri, drawing near Leomon instinctively.

"They haven't succeeded yet," Izzy reassured. "The digimon just get better at hiding. But in addition, these digidestined mentioned that strangers in suits seemed too curious of them and treated it all like a giant experiment. They said these people looked like professionals of some kind."

"And you think that these individuals are related to the hypothetical government agent," reasoned Takato.

"Correct," the digidestined nodded.

"And the freaks in the suits are likely the same losers that set up the _thing_ that made the building deadly," remarked Impmon.

"So that's our target," Takato nodded to himself. "But it's probably not best to march to their front door with all our digimon."

"Can we go to the park then?" asked Guilmon. "We could play."

"Guilmon…" sighed the boy.

Impmon interrupted, "Let Pineapple-head wear himself out chasing his tail. The park's in the same direction. Be easier than sneaking him all the way to the skyscraper of doom or keeping him here."

"So the plan is for Impmon to lead you guys to his 'bug-zapper building,' which is not a comforting term in my opinion, while we play hide-and-seek?" asked the insect digimon. "Meanwhile, the others are in the DigiWorld facing crazy megas?"

"Pretty much," shrugged Tai.

Tentomon stared for a second before muttering, "Oh… Okay."

* * *

"Gennai, do you have any advice on which direction to start with?" Kari asked.

Rika suggested, "If not, we could go with the goggle-head strategy of just wandering around until we run into something."

"Yeah, that sounds like what Davis would do," chuckled Patamon.

"Or Tai, once upon a time," added T.K.. "Now, he isn't as impulsive."

"He has changed," nodded the goggle-head's sister. "Especially since Diaboromon's return and when we ended up with Armageddenmon attacking downtown. He just doesn't seem to have his old conquering spirit any more. I mean, the old Tai would be here trying to find the aggressive digimon with us. But, instead, he picks handling the easier job in the human world."

"Goggle-heads bounce back," the red-haired tamer declared. "I'm sure he'll get over whatever mood your brother is in. Until then, we've got business to handle." She glanced at the digital being. "So, Gennai, _do_ you have any advice on a direction?"

He pointed towards a mountain range in the distance, just barely visible over the tree line. The tamer's first thought was that climbing it would not be fun, especially after actually having to get there in the first place. Doubtless, Kazu and Kenta would have surrendered after five minutes.

"Some of the most strongly opposing digimon of the human's influence and presence seems to come from that direction," he remarked. "Quite possibly the digimon who is guiding the megas you encountered today can be found there."

"Too bad Davis didn't wait to find that out before he ran out," Gatomon grumbled. "He and Veemon ran off already and Ken, Wormmon, and your friends had to chase after them."

Rika glanced over and noticed the feline was correct. The three boys and their partners were nowhere in sight. She sighed to herself, wondering how she'd handle the pair of digidestined. The old "cold-hearted loner" personality she once had was now mostly gone, she could still fall back into some of her habits of pushing people away. Strangers were usually met with her sharp tongue if she wasn't careful and she still felt a certain amount of distance when interacting with anyone but close friends and family. Somehow, she wasn't that optimistic that she'd be able to connect well with the Digidestined of Hope and Light.

"Then we better get moving," she replied. "Renamon, let's find whatever joker is responsible for the warm welcome we received this morning."

As she stomped off into the forest, the yellow fox appeared at her side, "Rika, you're leaving behind the others. Is something wrong with them that will explain why you don't want their help? You accept Takato, Henry, mine, and the others' help. Why do you not seem to want to accept the same from the digidestined?"

"I'm sure they're great in a fight," the red-head shrugged. "Patamon and Gatomon turn into powerful angel digimon. And those two have been involved with digimon since they were kids near Suzie's age. It's just…"

"You don't trust them," suggested the vulpine creature.

Rika stopped, "Trust is hard for me, Renamon. Even those you think can be trusted on may betray you in the end."

The tamer felt a painful memory of her father flashed through her mind. As a child, she thought she could trust him to be there for her. She trusted him to be her father. But he left. He left her and her mother. And if you can't even trust your family to stand by you, who can you trust?

"You can trust me, Rika," her partner reminded her. "And you know your friends want you to be able to trust them. They've never given you a reason not to and many reasons to do so. I just hope you can learn to trust others too."

"I know," nodded the girl. "I know."

"Hey, wait up," called T.K., jogging after her and the golden-yellow fox.

* * *

"…And then I informed Takato it was _still_ a stick," finished Terriermon, causing Davis and Veemon to burst out laughing.

"So, the best idea they could _really_ come up with to hide Growlmon was to paint him?" the goggle-wearing youth asked. "I'll need to remember that one. Painting camouflage."

"Just wait until it rains," the rabbit advise. "It lost some of its effectiveness when it washes off."

Henry shook his head as the three burst out laughing. It seemed the long-earred rookie had found a perfect audience. And Davis was devising some kind of plan of having Terriermon carrying Veemon for an aerial assault. The green and white vaccine was not as enthusiastic about that plan.

The tamer shot a look towards the quieter digidestined. Ken was staring at the crest in his hand. The boy's intent gaze reminded Henry's own, differently-shaped crest. As he glanced at the white rectangle around his neck, he decided to break the silence.

"At least you know what it is."

Ken looked up, "Hm…?"

"Your crest. I don't know what this could be or what it will turn Terriermon into. You, at least, know that you have the Crest of Kindness," explained the dark-haired tamer.

"But I don't know how to use it," the digidestined reminded. "Crests were the staple of the old group. Davis, Yolei, Cody, and I have never used them."

"Well, from what I understand," Henry remarked, "you have to display that trait strongly. When you demonstrate the particular trait strongly enough, you'll activate the crest."

"Which is why you wish you knew what your crest is," concluded Ken. "It would be easier to show the right trait if you know what it is."

"Exactly," he nodded.

"Don't worry," Wormmon suggested. "Ken, you're often kind without realizing it. It's who you are. I'm sure you'll find that your crest will be the same sort of thing, Henry. It will come natural to you."

"Momentai," called Terriermon, Veemon, and Davis in unison, having heard the end of the conversation.

Henry rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Oh no. They're multiplying."

* * *

Destiny smiled comfortingly at her new companion. The rookie had been just as confused as BigAgumon originally was upon being informed they possessed human partners, but memories were returning to them quickly. And as they spoke between each other, more memories were recovered.

Giving the pair a moment more to talk, she glanced at her new possession. She hadn't expected to receive a crest herself. In fact, her lack of partner made the object of power seem obsolete. But here it was around her neck.

BigAgumon interrupted her thoughts by asking, "Shouldn't we find the others?"

"Of course, but they are in Primary Village currently," she answered. "But I have a short-cut to get there."

With a practiced move, she pulled out her D-arc and created a portal in midair. How many of these portals had she created over time? More than she could imagine probably. Honestly, she wasn't even sure how she did it. It was just some kind of instinct that translated into action. There was no button pressing or card sliding. After all, her lavender D-arc with a dark-green ring possessed no buttons at all. All it had was a faint warm glow. Perhaps the glow was connected to the device's extra abilities.

After blinking in surprise, the two rookies followed her through the portal. The three of them emerged into a colorful landscape with soft padding and cradles holding baby digimon. Some of the closest blinked in surprise at their arrival.

"What are you doing here?" cried out a stunned Elecmon, dashing between the cradles. "_How_ did you get here?"

Destiny smiled at him, "We're here to pick up a few old friends of theirs." She gestured at her companions. "Don't worry about it. We know how to find them."

The red rookie stuttered about them bothering the babies. Her companions gave him a glare, silencing him.

"If you are concerning that I'm a threat to them, don't be," she added. "I'm no more intending to harm them than T.K. or another Digidestined would."

Elecmon froze at the familiar name. When she assured herself that he wouldn't try to stop her, she began to move through Primary Village. She came to one cradle holding a bright, yellow, slimy blob with red eyes.

Reaching down, she greeted, "Hello, Zurumon. It's nice to have you joining us. I know that someone will be happy to see you again."

The tiny being gurgled as she picked him up. Glancing around, she spotted a small shape bouncing out of the cradle. Shaking her head, she walked over to the orange creature with a black horn.

"Tsunomon, you digivolved already?" the girl remarked.

"Yep," the in-training digimon answered; its voice female. "Who are you?"

"Someone who'll take you where you belong."

**That's right. The Tsunomon in this story is female. I see no reason why not and its higher levels I've picked would work better in my opinion as a female. There will be more to come. Feedback makes me a happy person and happy people write more quickly.**


	26. The Original Goggles

**First off, I know that I did not name the rookie in the last chapter. It was intentional. I do not intend to name the rookie levels of the DigiDestined partners (except for BigAgumon) until I reveal the human halves of the pairs. So, even though I named the baby and in-training levels of two digimon, their rookie levels will not be named yet. So, be patient.**

**Next, I love the reviews. I really enjoy the feedback. Keep it going.**

He was flying near Primary Village. Why he felt like visiting the area that digimon spent their earliest days, he didn't know. All he knew was that he was feeling restless and that direction felt as good as any. The day was bright and warm, the breeze was refreshing, and he felt the need to fly.

As he neared the colorful home for baby digimon, he caught sight of a group of larger digimon. The large, orange dinosaur was the most noticeable. Standing with him was a white bird and a cloaked shape. While the figure, brown-haired and likely human, was completely new to him, the other two seemed oddly familiar to him. As he watched, two tiny shapes near them were bathed in a blinding light and digivolved. The tiny yellow dot became a blue creature with bat-like wings or ears. The slightly-larger, orange digimon with the horn turned into a canine-looking creature with a light red underside, green claws, violet stripes on fur of the palest blue on its back, and a pinkish horn on its forehead. Those two also gave him a feeling of familiarity. These four digimon belonged together in his memories.

He paused in his thought process. _Did_ he remember them? He almost felt that he knew them very well. It was as if he possessed thousands of memories of these four without actually being able to recall the memories themselves. But something was still missing. An impression of red-hair and sea-green eyes was all he could identify.

His mind knew the four rookies but screamed that the group was incomplete. There was supposed to be five more tall beings like the cloaked figure with them. Humans, he realized. Five humans should be there. But someone else too. Him.

He landed, his wings tucking under the hard shell. Five sets of eyes watch him, curiosity featured in four of them. The fifth, eyes of the deepest blue, seemed simply satisfied. She was human, but not familiar. Her face was not one of the five children that were trying to be remembered. She wasn't one of the humans who was supposed to be here, but she smiled at him.

"And then there were five."

* * *

The target was chosen and the team was being assembled. Five agents armed with specialized tools for the job. Vaguely gun-shaped, the devices were based on a weakened and portable version of the Guardian program. Strapped to the agents' side was a black box with a cord that led to the gun-like part of the item. The handheld portion looked like a handgun that's "barrel" ended in a parabola. Dials on the black box would control frequency and strength of the signal the object would emit. While she couldn't take credit for the creation of these devices, she still felt that the tools to actually affect digimon couldn't exist if not for her work. Mizutani knew that if these DD-guns didn't exist, humans would stand no chance against any digimon above an in-training.

Her involvement in this mission was technically complete. She'd found the target. Now she should go back to working on the Guardian program. But she couldn't. Mizutani wanted to do more than just stand on the sidelines. Somehow, she knew she wasn't one that would wait while others handled the dangers of the world. She was supposed to face threats head on. So, with a small hacking job, she added herself some time off and inserted herself into the group. She even managed to place herself in a commanding role by giving the original leader of the operation (an unimaginative, by-the-book man) another assignment that would keep him out of the way. She didn't trust him to lead any kind of important mission.

"Men, these are our targets," she explained, handing out photographs of the two children and the two digital creatures. "Tai Kamiya, age fifteen, and his sister, Kari Kamiya, age thirteen. The digimon consists of Agumon, a rookie Reptile digimon of the vaccine type, and Gatomon, a champion Holy Beast digimon also of the vaccine type. We need to extract these four from the residence and deal with any bystanders. Keep the setting below five for the champion and three for the rookie. We need the digimon for study, not destroyed."

The four men in dark suits nodded. Honestly, she thought they looked like clones. Each one wore the same expression and reacted the same way to events. And they obeyed orders without question or thought. Mizutani figured these people were the mindless drones that any large company needs to works correctly. Of course, thoughts like this about her co-workers might explain why she spent her free time alone. Or the desire to have people near he might have vanished when every one of her childhood friends called her a crazy freak when she made impossible declarations about things that couldn't have happened.

"**I'm telling you, Kimi," she pleaded, hoping the black-haired girl that had been her best friend since she could talk would believe her. Even her own mother thought it was some sort of joke or dream. After trying to convince her for a couple hours, her mother told her to stop telling stories. The blond haired child wanted someone to believe her. "There were other kids too and they had…"**

"**What are their names?" asked Kimiko. "If those kids were really there too, why don't you call them and invite them over?"**

**The grey-eyed girl blushed, "I don't know their last names. One of them might have mentioned it once, but most of us didn't. All I really know are their first names, so I can't look up their phone numbers."**

**Sighing, her friend put her hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, but it can't be real. What you're talking about doesn't exist. It's a neat idea, but too strange to really occur. Even ignoring the most impossible stuff, there's the time issue. You're talking about stuff for months, but I saw you yesterday. Remember? You were showing me some tricks on the computer and you had to sneak out before Mom saw you since I'm not supposed to be on it anyway?"**

"**But it did happen. It was real. I'm not lying."**

"**Please, stop playing around like this," she begged. "I'm your friend, but you're starting to scare me. You're starting to sound crazy. Can't you pretend you never had this dream? It's silly to get this worked up over a dream like a baby when you're almost thirteen now."**

"**A real friend would believe me," she snapped, frustrated at the dark-haired girl's refusal to accept the new view on the world. "And I have a real one. She promised we'd see each other again too. So, if you think I'm a liar or crazy or something, you aren't really that loyal a friend."**

"**Tam…"**

"**No! I'm not listening to you. I've faced more than you can imagine. I've seen things that were incredible and terrifying. And when I tell my family or you, no one will listen. Unless you will accept what I'm saying is true, I'm not talking to you."**

**The two stared at each other in silence, neither willing to back down from the challenge. Finally, Kimi shook her head.**

"**It isn't possible to be real. I'm sorry."**

Of course, in the end, Kimiko had been right. Her dream, her delusion, wasn't real. But she'd been the first one to call her crazy. She, at least, could tell that Mizutani wasn't lying. At the time, she truly and honestly thought what she'd described was real. That the hallucination was a real event that she'd lived through. But her desperate attempt to convince someone, _anyone_, that it happened only isolated her and forced her mother to drag her to a therapist.

Even then, she tried to retain her pathetic resolve that the dream was real. Until the events that destroyed Highton View Terrace approximately a year and a half after her dream. While many people were emotionally and mentally bothered by the event, she grew frantic in her attempts to declare that her hallucination was real. That was the point, when she was so fanatical about her dream, that her therapy increased and the medication began.

Mizutani yanked her mind back to the present painfully as one of the mindless minions of DADP tried to get her attention. She indicated for him to speak.

"Miss," he asked, "what do you intend to capture any other digimon that could possibly be in the immediate area? They are generally in groups together, these partnered children. So it is possibly more targets could be present, correct?"

She considered this. The files on partnered children were severely limited. There could easily be more in the area than she'd researched. So it was possible that they might find more than the two digimon and kids on their mission.

"If we gain the opportunity to retrieve another human and digimon pair, we should do so," she decided. "It is for their own good, after all."

* * *

Two dinosaurs, an oversized insect, a tall leonine being, a mischievous-looking imp, three boys, and a girl in a green dress were in the park from the day before. Tai held a soccer ball under his arm and Izzy was carrying a laptop in his backpack. The overall plan seemed to be that while virus rookie led one of the Digidestined to the building of interest, the other kids would find a way to keep the energetic Guilmon busy and the rest of the digimon out of sight. While the park wasn't perfect for their plan, it was still semi-isolated.

"So I lead Techno-Geek to the place and meet back in about an hour or so?" confirmed Impmon.

"Why am I 'Techno-Geek'?" asked Izzy indignified. "Do you nickname everyone?"

"Because Henry is already 'Braniac' and yes, I do," answered the virus. "So, either deal with it or switch with Hairball for baby-sitting duty for the Pineapple-head gang."

Takato whispered, "You either get used to Impmon's personality or you learn to ignore it."

"You know I can hear you, Goggle-head. I'll keep that in mind for later," remarked the rookie. "After I lead the dork to 'bug-zapper of death' and everything."

"Have fun, Impmon," waved Guilmon cheerfully. "We're going to play soccer."

"You're easily amused," the virus sighed, shaking his head. He glanced at Izzy. "Try to keep up, Techno-Geek. I'll be on the roofs, so look up. If you do, maybe I'll make sure you come back in one piece."

Without waiting for the Digidestined of Knowledge to respond, the purple creature shot into the nearest tree and vanished. When Izzy didn't immediately move, Impmon poked his head out of the foliage.

"Come on, I don't have all day," he called. "And don't worry, Bug-Eyes. Your geek will be fine."

"He's not the most polite mon out there," grumbled Tentomon as the rookie lead Izzy away. "But he's still better than some."

Guilmon tugged on his partner's arm, "Let's play. You said we'd play soccer, but not with Calumon's rules."

Tai laughed and set the ball down, "Okay, you and Agumon can be goalies; me and Takato will set up teams. Anyone else want to join in?"

"No thanks, boys," smiled Jeri. "I'll referee."

"Leomon? Tentomon?" the older boy asked. When the digimon shook their heads, he shrugged, "Guess it's just us. Ready, Takato?"

With a grin, Takato set his partner up between two trees that would serve as goal posts. Once he was certain the virus reptile understood his role, the boy ran over to begin the competition of the goggle-heads.

* * *

Rikuto Hayash, currently working his way through various public speaking seminars towards a future in politics, stood in front of his mirror trying to flatten his tall head of hair into a more manageable style. The spiky, sandy strands fought the comb and gel, trying to remain upright against his efforts. Ever since his youth, he was renowned for his huge hair. His career, unfortunately, did not smile on the sloppy image it created. Thus, his current struggle.

"Stay down," he growled through clenched teeth as he pulled the teeth of the comb through the mess once more.

Besides the hair, there was very little out of the ordinary about the man's appearance. He seemed to be in his early twenties and his hazel eyes remained unremarkable. His suit, chosen for his coming speech over the topic of "digital anomalies over the last decade," created an image of professionalism without seeming over-stuffy. He was taller than average and his impossible hair only added to the height. Overall, he seemed handsome without standing out.

There were a few oddities about him though. His jacket pocket bulged slightly, concealing a small object. His briefcase, open on the hotel bed, held not just notes for the speech, but an ancient pair of goggles. The dark green straps were extended to the maximum length to accommodate the grown man's head size and the right lens sported a small crack near the edge. The childhood sport's equipment did not seem to belong in the setting, but Mr. Hayash kept these small mementos in order to recall his past.

"Why won't you flatten?" asked the man, glaring at the spikes on his head.

"Talking to yourself is generally a sign of insanity, Rikuto Hayash," a female voice commented, causing the startled brunette to spin towards the sound. "Or do you prefer to be called 'Riku'?"

Perched on the bed, a dark-haired girl in a light purple t-shirt and jeans stared at him with intense blue eyes. She sat there as if there was nothing unusual with a stranger entering someone's hotel room.

"How'd you get in here? What do you want? I'm calling security."

She smiled, "I'm here to reunite the gang. Something is coming, a danger to so many, and experienced partners are needed to stop it. Thus, I'm going to the original saviors."

"What in the world are you talking about, kid? I swear, I'm calling the cops on you."

"This is why I need the cloak. No one takes me seriously in this get up," she mumbled. Then, louder, she announced, "I know you and four others, strangers, found yourselves drawn into a world not your own. Only children, you still faced he evil that crossed the Wall of Fire, the same evil that twisted the fabric of space and time with his presence so that the flow of time sped past the flow of the human one. I know that you never saw those children after those days and the memory of that world seems more like a dream. Just a small object and the face of a lost friend serve to demonstrate that it _could_ have happened."

The grown man stared in shock at the young girl. She knew too much of events that no one knew. The things she was describing would have occurred when she was a toddler, if even that old. How could she speak so knowledgably of his past?

"…Who are you?"

"I am the guardian of the balance of the universe. I am the bearer of prophecies," she answered. "I am Destiny. But today, I am also the reunite of long separated friends, long separated partners."

Trying to digest what the girl just explained, Riku Hayash fastened on a single fact, "You mean… I'm going back? To the digital world? BigAgumon…?"

"He is waiting for you," she smiled, climbing down from her perch. "Unless you still wish to combat prejudice by discussing the history of digimon's influence on this world to the close-minded instead?"

The original Digidestined, before Tai or the others had ever seen a digimon, grinned. He tossed the comb to the floor, snatched his ancient goggles from the briefcase, and pulled a worn digivice from his jacket pocket. The piece of technology was rectangular and clunky; the thick object possessed similar dimensions as a deck of playing cards. Three dark-grey, square buttons rested below a tiny screen and the whole surface was a slightly lighter shade of grey. The top held a small space that looked like a port to connect to a computer, but didn't fit any of the usual cords. Tiny scratches and smudges betrayed the devices age, but even those were fewer than should be expected.

"Lead the way," he instructed, pulling the goggles on his head. "Time to save the world again."

When housekeeping and, later on, concerned friends who came to attend the speech checked the room, his belongings remained undisturbed and a short note reading "Gone back. Wish me luck!" were all that could be found.

**One of the old DigiDestined has been revealed and it's the very original goggle-head. I hope you like him so far. In addition to describing his appearance, his job, and to lightly touch on his personality, I also had to invent their digivices. I've noticed that for many portable pieces of technology (game systems, cell phones, etc.) become smaller and/or more streamline. An example of this would be how the progression goes: Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, GameBoy Advance SP, etc. In this case, the D-3 would be the Gameboy Advance and the digivice would be the Gameboy Color. This leads to the D-arcs would be the Gameboy SP. (Sorry about the extended video game metaphor, but it is the most effective I could devise.) For the original five, they would have something more technologically primitive than those Tai and the others would have (the original Gameboy). Thus, they would have something bigger, clunkier, and less powerful in ability. With that in mind, I designed these digivices. Don't worry; I'll explain how they work a little later.**

**Another piece of technology I introduced in this chapter was the DD-guns, tools for DADP. What "DD" stands for, I'll reveal later. Until then, just keep in mind they're dangerous toys.**

**Hope you liked it and I will try to have more soon.**


	27. Demonic Motorcycle

**I'm so sorry about the wait. I have so many papers and projects due right now. But I'm still keeping the story going. I plan to move the storyline with Ryo, Cyberdramon, and DemiDevimon along. Thus, there will be some brief flashbacks as Ryo begins to remember more and more of his past. Nothing specifically important, just little tiny bits of his old life. Odd little things will begin to spark short memories for him without really distracting him from the real world.**

**There should also be some fun in this chapter. Specifically, it has Kazu acting like… well, Kazu.**

The black machine just sat there silently. Or maybe _loomingly_ would be a better term. There was a sense of threat surrounding the object. He knew exactly what it was and what it could do. It was dark, dangerous, and… kind of cool.

Kazu stared at his discovery carefully. He wondered how it ended up here in the monochromatic village, after everything that occurred when last they kids encountered it, but wasn't extremely surprised. True, it was supposed to be gone. But even during the fight, he couldn't actually remember it being destroyed. That didn't mean it was safe, however. There was a fairly good chance that it could get him hurt.

"Kazu, I believe that is the vehicle that Beelzemon rode when he attacked us," Guardromon stated.

The boy nodded, "The one that possessed the rider? Except for Beelzemon, that is. And that Takato said terrorized a village for a while before it took over Guilmon temporarily? Yep, that's Behemoth."

The motorcycle was just sitting motionless in the middle of the black and white town. The demonic machine looked so innocent (relatively speaking). It didn't look like anything more than an awesome bike that the coolest "bad boy" would die to own. And Kazu felt drawn to it.

Unfortunately, his common sense didn't agree to his current trail of thought. The voice of reason (Rika's voice, as usual) began to scold him.

"Have you lost what's left of your mind?" the copy of the red-head's voice shrieked. "That _thing_ is dangerous."

"Just for a minute," he muttered. "What could happen?"

"Let's see. It could possess you and begin rampaging across the landscape. You'll end up being used to destroy small villages and your partner won't be able to help you. Riding that bike is stupid, even for you."

"It didn't possess Beelzemon," the tamer pointed out. "And it's self-aware, right?"

"Kazu, who are you talking to?" asked Guardromon.

The boy stammered, "Ah, well… no one, really. Well, sort of myself. But it sounds a little like Rika. Not that she's actually is here. What I mean is… never mind."

The robotic digimon blinked, "Oh… Very well."

"Good," he nodded. "Now here's the plan. We aren't moving really fast, even if I ride on you. My plan is genius. We ride the evil motorcycle."

His brilliant idea was met with less enthusiasm than the hat-wearing tamer had hoped. The metallic being glanced between Kazu and Behemoth uneasily and the boy's common sense snorted in disgust. Rather than being discouraged, the kid pressed on enthusiastically.

"I know you're concerned about the whole 'possess the driver' thing, but I think that I have a shot at this. The thing is loyal to Beelzemon and he's on our side now. Thus, if we explain that to the 'living motorcycle,' it shouldn't try to take over our minds. Which means we can get a ride."

"Please tell me that you're not actually going to try that idea," his voice of reason groaned. "You'd stand a better chance of inviting the Devas over for a tea party with Hypnos in the old days. At least Lopmon wouldn't attack you for the idea. Unlike Beelzemon, you are not a mega level, psycho biker on a mission to destroy. You're a human with a tin-can champion trying to find Floramon's village. Don't you think that _maybe_ Behemoth will notice the difference and not be happy? Besides, it wasn't around when he changed sides."

Ignoring Rika's voice in his head, Kazu slowly approached the vehicle. When he was ten feet away, the bike revved his engine threateningly.

"Kazu, even if the motorcycle relents to your logic," Guardromon reminded, "I am not sure I can actually ride it."

Glancing over his partner's bulky form, the boy had to agree that his friend wasn't really designed to be a passenger. He probably would fall off the bike in five feet of travel. If the vehicle could actually move at all with the heavy passenger on board. But Kazu was never one to give up an idea easily.

"I'll think of something, don't worry. Maybe after I convince it to help us, I could digivolve you to Andromon. It should be easier to ride that way. Just wait there unless it looks like I'm having trouble."

"Or get yourself killed," muttered his common sense. "When you get yourself killed, I won't pity you. And if you live, I'll kill you. Now, get away from the demonic bike before you end up as road kill."

"In the words of Terriermon, 'momentai.' This is not the stupidest thing I've ever done," he whispered.

He could picture the fierce female tamer glare at him, "No, but its way up there. The stupidest thing you ever done was trying to convince Jijimon and Babamon to be your and Kenta's partners and ended up acting like you were _their_ digimon. This counts under one of the most stupid _dangerous_ things you have done since the D-reaper incident. Is that specific enough, idiot?"

Instead of wincing at the voice's tone, Kazu adopted a goofy grin, "Well, in a minute it'll be the most awesome thing I've done. After all, nothing will stop BlackWarKazumon and his parter, Guardromon, from saving the day in style. What do you say to that?"

"Kazu, you are speaking to yourself again," his metallic digimon pointed out.

"This will not end well," grumbled his inner voice.

"Okay," the boy sighed. "Behemoth, bike of supreme awesome and Beelzemon's sweet ride." The youth figured a little flattery couldn't hurt. "You probably don't remember this, but we know your boss."

The motorcycle revved its engine again, the sound almost predator-like in its savageness. How a motor could sound threatening, Kazu wasn't sure. But Behemoth somehow managed it.

"Yes, he was attacking us and our friends at the time he 'lost' you," the tamer admitted. "But a bunch has happened since then. He's on our side now. We're all on the same team, bringing justice to where ever we go."

The machine didn't respond to this extravagant claim. The boy did think that the black vehicle would be rolling his eyes if he had them. Still, he kept talking and slowly walking towards the bike.

"I know, it seems hard to believe. But he really is on our side now. He's our friend. And since you're his bike, that means you're on our side too. All I want is a small favor. Let me ride you without being possessed. That way, we can get to Floramon's village, find our friends, and get back home. Deal?"

He waited for the motorcycle to react to the request, but it never did. The demonic bike simply sat there quietly. Kazu took this as agreement to the favor. Grinning confidently, the boy turned and waved at Guardromon encouragingly. The robotic champion still seemed uncertain of his partner's plan. While the digimon normally supported the tamer's ideas, it was clear that he felt this one was not the best or safest.

"Why is it you think this hare-brained scheme will work?" asked his inner Rika. "Do you think the crazed bike that rampaged across the landscape for fun is loyal enough to Beelzemon that it'll behave because some dorky kid, that the mega intended to kill last time, says they're best buds now?"

"Pretty much," he answered.

"This is why you need a baby-sitter," the voice grumbled. "Or a keeper."

The tamer set his hand on the handlebars of the motorcycle. He could fell the vibrations the running engine caused, but it showed no signs of aggression. If anything, it felt like the purring of a cat. The lack of aggression served as further encouragement for the youth's plan.

"Nice bike," he murmered. "Good bike. Non-psycho bike."

With slow, careful motions, Kazu eased his body onto the vehicle. A series of clangs suggested that Guardromon was still uneasy about the situation unfolding. He was shifting in place, anxiously watching as the boy asked him to.

The tamer sat on Behemoth finally. To his pleasant surprise, he didn't immediately feel his mind being controlled by the bike. He glanced around, unable to believe his luck. Kazu smiled when he realized his plan was actually working.

"I told you so," he smirked, addressing his inner Rika. "I told you it would work."

It was at this point where Behemoth took off at neck-breaking speed across the cobblestone road. The motorcycle wasn't controlling him, but it did have a rider. Normally, it took over the passenger for convenience. This time, it didn't for two reasons. Just in case the kid was actually friends with Beelzemon, Behemoth didn't want to hurt, kill, or mind control the tamer. Besides, it would be far more fun to give Kazu a ride he'd never forget than simply use him as another puppet driver. Thus, the bike focused on sharp turns, wheelies, and swift changes in speed rather than simply traveling the longest distance in the shortest time possible. Essentially, it was doing the vehicle equivalent of a bucking bronco.

While Kazu screamed in terror and clutched the handlebars for dear life, he could make out his digimon shouting his name. Doubtless, the robotic champion was using his jetpack to follow the rapidly-changing direction of the demonic bike. But most of all, the shrieking tamer heard a certain female's voice ringing in his ears.

"I told you so, idiot."

* * *

The tunnel spiraled down into pitch-black darkness. Ryo moved cautiously, following DemiDevimon's voice as the bat lead them to their next target. The bat hurriedly explained that the cave connected to a layer of the digital world that attracted viruses of the worst kind. And anyone who found their way there either learned to handle the dangerous, heartless creatures quickly or they didn't last long.

"Of course, the whole digital world is like that at times," the rookie admitted. "But this area is home to the worst. The entire layer seems to _ooze_ evil. But lots of digimon seem to like it that way. Which is why we're going there."

"Because we'll find the 'evil' digimon we're looking for?" the boy asked, wishing he could see the virus.

"Exactly. From what I know, LadyDevimon and, sometimes, Myotismon tend to prowl the area near the cave entrance," explained DemiDevimon. "They enjoy the 'prey' that can wander in there."

"And Cyberdramon is supposed to defeat both so that you can gain power. Are you sure that this is right?" questioned Ryo. The hint of doubt, nurtured by the bat's behavior around Destiny and the desperate questions the virus asked about what the boy was told, suggested that the plan might not be the best thing to follow. But the newly digivolved Cyberdramon seemed eager for the coming battle. "I mean…"

"Trust me, Ryo, it'll be alright," the viral rookie answered. "This is what you are meant for. It is why you and your partner met me in the first place. It's fate. I'm supposed to gain power with your help so that those who betrayed us will be punished. And aren't I just picking evil digimon? Everything will work out, my friend."

The brown-haired youth sighed and nodded, even knowing that his actions would be unseen. Other than the Floramons and Seadramon back in the village, DemiDevimon was the only digimon that wanted to help who wasn't his partner. True, the boy didn't know many digimon. But ever since he could remember, Floramon warned many digimon would attack first. But the bat offered advice and guidance to the pair. The virus answered questions about the past. Ryo and Cyberdramon needed these answers.

"Is it getting lighter?" asked the boy, realizing he could almost make out the flapping figure.

"We're almost there," explained DemiDevimon. "Once we leave the cave, keep an eye out for either LadyDevimon or Myotismon. Like I said, they prowl the area."

As the viral rookie finished speaking, the trio came around a turn in the tunnel. The cave ended abruptly. Though it was brighter than the cave, the exterior still appeared dim.

It was daytime, but the sky was covered in an unfamiliar/familiar dark-grey haziness with purplish flashes of light. **Storm clouds. The sky is covered in storm clouds. Thunder and lightning clash as the storm worsened. The brown-haired boy, young and innocent, flinched at the sound. He watched the heavy clouds unleash their burden. Huge raindrops splattered across the window. When another bolt flashed, the child Ryo whimpered and sought out the comfort of his parents.** The glowing orb that represented the human world could be seen through the cloud cover, but the storm clouds hid the details.

Jagged rocks covered the landscape and shadows stretched along the ground. The entire level seemed to be in a half-night state_**. **_**Twilight. The sunset was technically over, though there were still hints of orange and red light at the edges of the sky. Colorful lights turned on in front of buildings. He was running; Monodramon followed. Two more figures, a young girl and a brown rabbit, seemed to be traveling with him and his partner. They ran towards a foreboding mist. **The area seemed only to consist of sharp edges and angular shapes, lacking the softer curves and colors that were prominent in the forest layer. And there was no cheerful golden light that shone between the leafy canopy and reflected off the cool water in the lake.

In the distance, so far away that he could barely see, a tiny white dot sat on a dark grey mountain. There was a faint hint of a trail up the rocky surface that might or might not lead to the object on top. There was no greenery or other signs of life across the stone mountain side.

"What's that?" he asked, indicating the only object in view that wasn't a dark colored.

DemiDevimon winced, "Very dangerous. It's a castle where a bunch of extremely powerful megas live. They _are_ evil and nearly invincible. Some of the more superstitious freaks think they are the reason all these evil viruses are attracted here. Others think they make them evil with their very presence and that before they created that castle and moved in, this layer was just another one. Kind of like the forest layer, only with more varied terrain. Everyone stays out of their way."

Without warning, Cyberdramon began a feral growl. He jerked his head towards a particular clump of rocks. The ultimate stepped out of the cave.

"What is it?" the boy asked.

The vaccine growled, "A target."

A bored sigh announced her presence before she appeared directly. From behind the boulders indicated by Cyberdramon, a tall, grey humanoid shape stepped into sight. Her white hair flowed behind her unbound. Chains wrapped around her figure while her grey patchwork clothes bore images evil grins with red eyes at a variety of locations: both of her boots, her right knee, and the back of her left hand. Her long arms ended in sharp claws, some of which were crimson in color, and seemed perfect for slashing through innocent digmon. Black, tattered wings hung around her like a cloak. Blood-red eyes glowed from under her grey mask on her pale face. She glanced at them boredly.

"How nice," she yawned. "A couple of pathetic digimon for me to destroy. And a poor little human who's lost his way. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

Ryo studied the grey creature, "LadyDevimon, I presume?"

"Glad to know I'm famous," she grinned cruelly.

"Enough talk," snapped Cyberdramon. "Fight!"

With that, he shot past the boy and bat. The vaccine ultimate launched himself at the humanoid virus. Though she seemed surprised, she met the attacker's enthusiasm with her own.

"Evil Wing!" she announced, releasing a swarm of bat-shaped creatures of darkness on Cyberdramon.

"Desolation Claw!" shouted the cyborg digimon, destroying her attack before tackling her at full force.

**Not the best update I've ever done, but not the worse either. Hopefully, I'll be able to write longer chapters as I get caught up on the various projects currently required by my numerous classes. Specifically, next week is my spring break. Even if I don't post much that week for some dumb reason, I will certainly be writing something out on paper. As always, reviews are appreciated by the writer. Hope you're enjoying the story so far.**


	28. Crushing the Viruses

**Alright, more from the tamer's universe. I think that you will enjoy it. And to start this chapter off, we will look into the mind of Calumon somewhat.**

A small, white creature glided through the village of vegetative digimon, humming softly to himself as his thoughts drifted from topic to topic without pattern or reason. Most people would consider this thought process as illogical or stupid. Calumon wasn't stupid though. He was young, naïve, and innocent of so much in both worlds. And very often illogical. But that didn't stop him from following where his thoughts led.

He wondered if Jeri was alright. The happy, little being cared about people and digimon in a very black and white manner. If they were his friend, they were completely his friend. The girl was his friend and he wondered if she needed him to cheer her up. Calumon saw his job as being the one who made sure all his friends were happy and having fun. Like Yamaki.

His short attention span turned towards his tamer. When Calumon first met Takato, the boy wanted to find the in-training creature a partner. Eventually, he gave up on this idea and the white digimon went where he wanted. Now, he was supposed to be Yamaki's partner. But that didn't stop him from visiting Jeri most of the time. In fact, except for facing the mean lady, Ms. Suzuki, he didn't really protect the grown man much. Though they did help the others.

Once, Calumon could feel a bright, warm feeling whenever a digimon digivolved. It would fill him up and then leave in a flash of light. The nice, giant, blue dragon, Azulongmon, told him he made the different digimon change, even before he was Calumon. When they asked for his help, he found the power inside him like a red, upside-down pyramid. It was just waiting for him and he unlocked it to help everyone. It was harder to completely unlock it like that, but the fun DigiGnomes helped him. Afterwards, he felt extremely tired, the glowing beings were gone, and the light was no longer inside him.

But the power wasn't really gone. If he closed his eyes and looked for it, the red pyramidal light was still close. Rather than being inside, it was behind him. Sort of. Calumon couldn't really touch it anymore. Except if Yamaki helped. The small device somehow let the digimon touch the power and one of his friends at the same time. Then, the bright, warm feeling moved through the white creature and his friends would digivolve.

Thinking about the DigiGnomes, Calumon wondered if he could find another one. Yamaki might like to meet them and they probably knew some fun games. They could help cheer up the serious grown up. And Suzie and Lopmon would really like them.

Grinning, the in-training changed course and went to join the young girl and the rabbit. She'd been teaching him about "princesses," "ribbon dancers," and "tea parties." So far, Calumon like her games. Though her insistence on "dress-up" was sometimes a little scary.

Humming still, he glided down to where the tamer built a sand castle on the short sandbar along one part of the lake. It wasn't a very good castle because of the limited amount of sand, but the grainy particles stuck together better then the finer sand on other beaches. Like when Takato and Guilmon went on vacation. That was a fun beach.

Thus, Calumon's short attention span drifted onto other topics.

* * *

Guardromon wasn't the fastest digimon in existence. On the ground, he was generally a slow, clanking, _constant_ force that would never win a race. By air, his jetpack boosted his speed to a decent rate if he wasn't weighted down with riders. But lacking a card to increase his velocity, there was no possible way that the robotic digimon should be able to keep up with Behemoth. Unless the demonic motorcycle _allowed_ him to keep up.

The coppery-brown champion followed valiantly as the sentient vehicle drove across the landscape. The black shape performed a variety of hairpin turns and neck-breaking maneuvers that Kazu's mother would never allow her son to attempt, but Behemoth never escaped from view. And if the bike wasn't clearly visible, the dust trail behind it as it returned to the wasteland level of the digital world and Kazu's surprisingly high-pitched screaming easily identified the tamer's location.

The demonic vehicle wasn't trying to escape. He was simply trying to torture the boy. Either way, Guardromon intended to rescue his partner. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how to do that without harming Kazu. He couldn't catch up with Behemoth and grab on to physically stop it and his options concerning long-distance were limited to firing missiles… Which wouldn't be an option for him.

A dark shape appeared on the empty desert horizon. From his aerial position, the champion saw Behemoth stopped abruptly. The sudden halt threw Kazu off and sent the boy tumbling to the ground. The new shape bent over the winded tamer.

Guardromon landed on the sandy surface and gave his partner a quick examination. For the most part, Kazu seemed unharmed. But the boy's eyes were squeezed shut, his arms shook, and he kept muttering "listen to Rika" and "solid ground, safe ground." Still, he survived his experience.

Assured of the human's health, the robotic digimon turned his attention to the figure that appeared on the wasteland and now stood near the boy. Whether this should be considered surprising or not, he realized that it was the cloaked shape of Destiny that's arrival halted the bike. The only question was whether she actually caused Behemoth to stop or if she just decided to arrive where the youth would finally be ejected.

"Greetings," she began solemnly. "I come bearing a gift and news."

"Could you give me a second?" gasped Kazu. "I can't focus while the world is spinning. Just let me enjoy the nice, solid, non-moving, digitally-based dirt."

* * *

"Cyber Nail!" snarled Cyberdramon, once more attacking the female virus.

Her confident behavior evaporated under the ruthless, single-minded assault. Regardless of how many weak digimon that wandered in from the forest level that she'd personally destroyed, it seemed LadyDevimon wasn't prepared for the blood-thirsty nature of her newest opponent. She'd seemed particular surprised when he slammed her into the jagged rocks rising out of the ground with enough force to shatter the stone.

Ryo wasn't prepared for it either. Even after Destiny's warning and the flashback of this creature, the brown-haired human felt deeply shocked by his partner's personality change.

"Black Wing!" screamed the viral ultimate, her left hand transforming into a long, sharp spike that she tried to skewer her opponent with.

Cyberdramon responded by grabbing her arm, twisting the spike that was once her hand, and stabbing her right side with it. She released an enraged scream and jerked away from the vaccine. Her ruby eyes glittered with fury and, maybe, a hint of fear.

"This is more like it," grinned DemiDevimon. "Crush her."

The boy gave the bat a worried look. It did seem that they were winning, but he didn't like how it transformed his friend. The feral growls and predatorial grin brought back more memories though. But not all pleasant.

…**His partner, larger than life, holds a green dragon's head. **_**Majiramon**_**. A card in the boy's hand suggests the reason why Cyberdramon was a giant. His partner crushes the captive's head…**

…**The pink goo surrounds him while a giant, twisting-cable creature looms out of the mess. **_**D-reaper**_**. Near him, a humanoid being with long, white hair and golden armor stares with hidden eyes at the thing. She holds a staff and moves gracefully through the chaos. **_**Sakuyamon**_**. He knows her real name, but another is what he says…**

…**A two-headed turtle looks at the boy and digimon. **_**Ebonwumon**_**. Both heads seem friendly enough. He quickly begins a conversation with the reptilian **_**sovereign**_**… **

…**Nearly forgotten though the fog of his past, the image of a young boy with dark hair and a green insectoid digimon appear before him. The sky is blue and a yellow sun hangs above them, but Ryo knows it is the digital world. Eventually, they find a monster…**

…**He places a digimon card down. A red-haired girl scowls at the rectangle. She wears a shirt with a broken heart. She turns her scowl towards him…**

…**The same girl and two boys are with him in the digital world. The boys, one with glasses and the other with a hat, praise him. She glares at him. **_**Rika**_** can hold a grudge…**

…**He looks at Cyberdramon, wondering. Is it still his friend in there or has the monster began to reemerge? Only time will tell…**

"Desolation Claw!" roared Cyberdramon, striking out at LadyDevimon and snapped Ryo back to reality.

She staggered back, clutching her side. A jagged tear on the virus was losing date, demonstrating which of the combatants was winning the fight. She stepped back, staring in horror at the feral creature.

DemiDevimon took flight from the relative shelter of the cave entrance, his yellow eyes gazing hungrily at the stream of data leaving the female ultimate. Neither the bat nor the tamer expected what came next.

"Crimson Lighting!" a cultured voice announced as a thin stream of red energy snaked out like a whip and struck LadyDevimon.

The viral female gave a pained gasp, falling to her knees. She turned her head towards the attack's source. She flickered out of focus momentarily, data still flowing away.

"Finally have the hunting grounds to yourself, old man," she chuckled regretfully.

The male voice of the attacker remarked airily, "Nothing personal, my dear. I am simply taking advantage of the current situation. If it comforts your passing, you failed victims will soon be joining you."

Narrowing her ruby eyes, LadyDevimon shot a look at Cyberdramon, "Kill that aristocratic vampire."

Before anyone could respond, she lost her solid form and broke apart in a cloud of data. DemiDevimon darted greedily into the cloud and began to absorb it. Ryo ignored the rookie's actions, turning towards the new arrival.

Humanoid in form, he stepped into view calmly and bearing an air of aloofness. His outfit was a deep blue with golden buttons and black boots with silver skulls. Behind him, a red and black cape fluttered in the breeze and was attached around his neck by a golden bat-shaped clasp. His pale face was partially concealed by a red mask and a pair of sharp fangs poked from his mouth when he smiled. His blond hair was slicked back. His appearance was less obviously demonic evil than LadyDevimon, but it still produced a growl from the vaccine.

"Oh shoot," screeched DemiDevimon. "Myotismon. Kill him, kill him quickly."

Ryo, uncertain if his partner could handle another ultimate so soon, ran through the deck of cards quickly. One caught his attention. It reminded him of his flashback from just a moment before. Selecting the card, the tamer ran it through his D-arc.

"Digi-Modify! Goliath Activate!"

The vampire digimon didn't even have time to react before the cyborg-dragon grew to tremendous heights. Towering over Myotismon, Cyberdramon simply crushed the ultimate underfoot and bit his head off. The virus type broke apart easily and left only an explosion of data that the bat cheerfully absorbed.

* * *

While Destiny's words initially worried DemiDevimon, he felt more confident of his plans now. Not only did she say he'd succeed, but she also gave him a hint of who to keep an eye on in the future. And, for a further bonus, she left them an ultimate level killing machine who just took out two digimon of equal level. Things were truly looking up.

The viral bat needed the data of several very specific digimon for his strategy to work. With all the data he'd absorbed from higher level digimon so far, he could likely reach his traditional champion level now. But his goal was even greater than that.

Most digimon absorbed any data they could to gain power. Some sought out powerful objects or humans to help them. And some would combine together to form one stronger digimon. This last, DNA digivolution, was harder to do because it meant convincing a group to combine their data and cooperate. But DemiDevimon felt that he didn't _need_ them to agree. All he really needed was to combine their data with his own.

He needed the data of only two more digimon to reach his goal. If he could keep control of his two "friends" for that long, then he would gain extreme power like he'd never known before. And no one would be able to stop him.

Well, maybe one. Destiny said that he needed to watch out for whoever was "harmless," "small and meek," and "youngest of mind and form." While he didn't know all the tamers and their partners by face, one definitely seemed to fulfill the requirements. The young girl with the brown rabbit digimon he'd originally aimed for when he destroyed Justimon sprung to mind. He'd observed her fairly well and she was the youngest tamer he'd seen. When the time comes, he would have to deal with her.

DemiDevimon, adopting his "motivating and encouraging friend" persona, smiled at Ryo, "Great job with that card, kid. That was impressive. Now, we need to find SkullSatamon on this level. Then we can get out of here."

* * *

"So, what is this thing?" asked Kazu, dangling the white rectangle from the golden chain.

After the boy recovered from the terror-filled ride that Behemoth provided him, he'd sat up and looked at the cloaked shape properly. Destiny, her face concealed by her hood, waited patiently for him before handing him the odd object,

When the tamer inquired about the nature of the item she'd just given him, she pointed at his favorite shirt, "Do you know what that symbol stands for?"

Glancing down, he replied, "It's the Crest of Reliability. It was Joe's crest on the television show and Cody got the Digi-Egg of Reliability."

"The crests were sources of power for the Digidestined, born of the positive traits they cultivated," she nodded. "Some were obvious, like Tai and Courage. Others were more difficult for them to exhibit, like Matt and Friendship. But the power came from within them regardless."

"I didn't know you were a fan of the show," smiled the boy.

Apparently ignoring this comment, the prophetess continued, "What you now hold is a similar item that will unlock power within yourself."

Kazu blinked at her, his mind not quite recovered from the earlier stress. After he made the connection between her words and her references to the television show, he emitted a fan-boy type of excited shriek. He jumped up, laughing and cheering. Next, he leapt at Guardromon and continued to freak out.

"Kazu, I can see you are excited by something," his very surprised partner remarked. "Unfortunately, I feel I am still ignorant of what it is."

The boy laughed manically, "It's a crest! She's giving me a crest. I wonder which one it is. Chumley's going to die of jealousy."

"In addition," she stated, trying to break through his elated mood, "I need to warn you. An enemy is rising and you shall find yourself facing someone familiar and unexpected on the battlefield. Remain true to your nature and you'll make the right decision."

Nodding in a stunned state, the tamer added, "And don't ride demonic motorcycles."

Behemoth, resting nearby on the flat wasteland, released a deep, mechanical sound that could be easily translated into an evil chuckle. Kazu glanced at the vehicle and shuddered.

**I hoped you enjoyed that. Do you understand what DemiDevimon is planning? I would love to hear your guesses. I've given tons of hints.**

**And that is as much as you will see Myotismon. So many stories feature him as the main bad guy. He's already been in that role in season one and two, so the ultimate bad guy isn't going to be him this time. So I had Cyberdramon crush him. Specifically, I had Ryo use the card he only used once in the show and was never mentioned again. I thought it would be a nice touch.**

**Let me know what you are thinking of this story so far and I'll update soon. Thanks.**


	29. Entering the Opponents' Domain

**Back to the Digidestined universe. One of my reviews noted that my digivices for the original DigiDestined looked like the original digimon virtual pets that came out before the show, only bigger and without the keychain (they were basically a boy version of those Tamagotchi things). While that is too cool for words, it wasn't intentional. It was simply an awesome coincidence.**

**Just to note: the original DigiDestined are my vision of these individual. Their names, appearance, and personality are mine. So if you want to borrow Riku or the rest of the gang, ask first.**

Chasing a purple creature across the city is hard enough. Doing it while weaving through crowds of pedestrians and the digimon leading the way is moving along rooftops is even worse. Izzy felt that if Impmon wasn't trying to make sure the Digidestined could keep up, the boy would have lost the rookie long ago.

As he moved along the sidewalks, glancing at the tall buildings for a flash of purple, he began contemplating how the world had changed in the last six months. Digimon and the digital would were common knowledge now. Groups like PAD were sprouting up. Protests at the existence of digimon and children partnership rose from the masses. And now the hints of a government based anti-digimon group was leaking out. It seemed like too much to handle.

The number of digidestined was increasing at a geometric rate. Though most of the new members ranged from ten to fourteen in age, more and more younger children and teenagers up to sixteen years old were appearing across the globe. Izzy predicted that this was meant to create an entire generation of humans partnered with digimon to replace the older people. If he was right, then the idea that digimon could be placed back in the Pandora's box of the digital world is wrong. It would be the unpartnered humans that would eventually be lost.

The Digidestined of Knowledge would have continued with his thoughts if a gloved hand didn't shoot out of the alley way and jerk on the boy's shirt. Impmon scowled at the teenager and pulled him out of the flow of traffic. His chosen alley seemed to be mildly cleaner than some, which meant all the trash was in the garbage bins, but it wasn't the first place Izzy would have chosen for a conversation. Still, it was secluded. And from his cautious glances, that was all the digimon was concerned with.

"Okay, Techno-Geek," he began. "Almost there. Couple more blocks this way. Tall building, grey with reflective windows you can't really see through, and thick ledges. I think it has some of those giant T.V. dishes on top, but I was more concerned with the place's 'dangerous-to-touch' quality than the scenery."

"So why are we stopping here?" asked the Digidestined.

The digimon rolled his emerald eyes, "I thought you were supposed to be semi-smart. Because I'm not going to get closer. For several reasons. One, there is less cover up ahead and more windows looking down on the roof. At night, I can get away with it. Daytime is another story. Two, that place is supposed to be the source of 'ultimate digimon hatred and desire to rip us apart' and even if the paranoid pedestrians don't spot me, the lunatics in lab coats certainly will. And, despite what some might say, I _do_ have some survival instincts. And they say 'going back to the building of evilness is stupid.' If you can't find it from here, we really are doomed."

"Fine," sighed Izzy. "Just wait here and please don't cause trouble."

Impmon shrugged, "If you aren't back in ten minutes, I make no promises."

Shaking his head at his companion, the Digidestined of Knowledge stepped back into the main flow of traffic. Unfortunately, the digimon's argument made sense. The potential danger of their target was the whole reason that they didn't bring the whole group there. Besides, if Tentomon was with him, he'd have asked the insect digimon to hide a safe distance too. Only Davis or Tai at their most impulsive would suggest storming the gates with their partners. Which would likely lead to a swift retreat and possible rescue mission later. The only thing that bothered Izzy was that Impmon chose to stay back and not cause problems on his own. From what the group genius had observed and read so far on that particular digimon, trouble was that guy's middle name. Was the purple virus actually afraid enough to learn caution?

The reddish-brown haired boy then remembered the young tamers' last words to their partner before being dragged away to Tai's house. Ai asked him to be "really, really careful." It was quite possible that the rookie was simply trying to do what she asked. If thought about in that way, it made some kind of logical sense that Impmon was acting this way.

Actually identifying the correct building was as easy as the viral digimon suggested. The reflective windows stood out enough on their own since most of ther surrounding structures had clear glass to allow sunlight to stream in, but the thick ledges and grey color was less rare. The satellite dishes on top, that Impmon only suspected were present, proved to Izzy that not only was this their target, but it was also involved with technology directly. From his position, he could make out at least as many dishes as he would find at the television station. Most were small, but there at least three larger ones. And there was no sign or logo to announce what the building contained.

"Guess this is the place," Izzy muttered, pulling his laptop out of his backpack and heading forward.

Stepping through the revolving door, the boy carefully approached the front desk. The lobby was bare of any furniture or decoration beyond the desk. Behind it, a young man in a suit sat there stiffly. The black haired man had a telephone and planner on the desk, but no computer. His eyes were locked on the Digidestined, watching the youth for any hint of trouble. Likely, his finger was on an alarm button in case the strange youth made any sudden moves.

"Excuse me," smiled Izzy, trying to look friendly and naïve. Basically, he was channeling his inner-idiot. "My computer won't turn on and someone said this place works with them. Can you help me?"

Sighing tiredly, the man replied, "Your friend is mistaken. We don't work on computers here."

"Are you sure?" he frowned. "He seemed so certain. But he's better at all this technology stuff anyway. If you don't fix computer stuff here, what _do_ you do?"

"Boring things, kid," the employee answered, his tone supporting his words. "Your friend was sort of right. We deal with computer programs. Like viruses, worms, and spam. Only we deal with the whole infrastructure."

"What about digimon?" inquired Izzy cautiously.

The man's face darkened, "There's a computer store six blocks from here. They should be able to help you, kid."

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll tell my friend he's wrong. That… what's this place called again?"

"Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing," answered the man sharply.

"Right," Izzy nodded again. "I'll tell him this isn't really a computer place. It's a more complicated something." Thinking back to how Tai once tried to fix his laptop, he added, "And maybe I should just hit my computer a few times to see if that will fix it."

The Digidestined of Knowledge moved away from the desk. He glanced at the pair of elevators across the room, noting that there was a tiny sign indicating the staircase. Logically, paying attention to the entrances and exits of the building could serve them well if they ever needed to use them. They could easily be trying to break in here sometime in the future and information could be the key. After all, knowledge is power.

As the boy left, he could still feel the man's gaze on him. This place held secrets and seemed to fear discovery. But Izzy intended to uncover them, even I they tried to hide the facts.

* * *

Mrs. Kamiya hummed softly to herself as she mixed together beet juice with wheat germ. It was rather nice to have young children in the home again. She was surprised at how well Ai and Mako got along. After they were dropped off, they had talked for a little while before deciding to color. Not argued, but talked. She shrugged their uncommonly good relationship as a "twin thing."

"As soon as I'm done mixing this, we can start baking this cake," the mother remarked as she added an egg to the batter. "You'll have to make sure to leave some for the others. Your friend, Guilmon, seemed to have quite an appetite."

"Impmon and Terriermon say he's a bottomless pit," Ai informed the woman as she reached for a crayon.

"I don't mind that," confided the woman. "I always end up with leftovers anyway. It's nice to see someone enjoying my recipes."

A polite knocked at the door interrupted them. Mrs. Kamiya set down her mixing spoon and sighed. She wouldn't be able to finish if the interruptions continued. She'd already had a phone call from her sister and a telemarketer. Now there was this distraction.

"Just a second," she called. She smiled at the young pair stretched out on the floor, "I'll be right back. Don't cause trouble."

"We won't, Mrs. Tai and Kari's mom," Mako reassured. "Impmon said not to do anything he _would_ do."

Chuckling softly and remembering how her own children acted at that age (Kari and her "whistle language" came to mind), the brown-haired woman went to answer the door. Checking the peephole, she saw a blond woman she didn't recognize. But the individual was dressed very professionally and Mrs. Kamiya opened the door unsuspectingly.

Four other people who'd been standing out of view rushed in, pushing her out of the way. They vanished into the apartment, causing the twins to shout in surprise. Before she could run into the living room to protect the frightened children or even demand an explanation, the blond woman from before pinned her against the wall and slammed the door shut.

"Mrs. Kamiya, I'd advise remaining silent and coming with me into the main room," she stated simply. "You're cooperation will be greatly appreciated. And while we do not intend any harm towards you or your family, any resistance to our instruction will increase the likelihood of unexpected results. If you would lend the way, we can handle this quickly and efficiently."

Unable to think of anything else to do, the mother nodded slowly and returned to the living room. Ai and Mako huddled together, starting at the strangers. One man in a suit stood by the sliding door to the balcony. The other three reappeared from the other rooms. Each one held some kind of object that looked like a bad sci-fi movie weapon. Still, Mrs. Kamiya watched the devices uneasily in case they proved to be more dangerous than their strange appearance might suggest.

"Miss Mizutani, we have secured the area and our targets are not present," one of the dark suited men reported.

Her grey eyes narrowed at the man's statement before turning towards the parent, "Where are your children and the digimon?"

"What do you want with them?" demanded Mrs. Kamiya.

"Only to save your children from themselves. We can wait for them to return. We have time," Mizutani answered. She glanced at the kitchen, "I see we caught you in the middle of baking. Please feel free to continue. We don't want to interrupt."

"I don't like you," mumbled Mako. 'You guys look mean."

"And you're scaring the nice lady by crashing in here," Ai added. "You should go away."

Mrs. Kamiya wanted to go over and hide the twins behind her, but the blond woman was already walking over to them. She proceeded to study the pair with her stormy-grey eyes until the young children stopped cringing from the strange adults and returned a defiant glare at her.

"But you don't scare me," the girl finished.

"Me neither," declared her brother. "Because we're brave and you're just a bully."

"Tell me, children," Mizutani remarked. "What is that?"

She pointed at the device hanging around Ai's neck. The child grabbed the purple and white object protectively and her brother did the same with a white rectangle around his.

"It's _ours_," Mako muttered.

"While I haven't heard of that specific model, I know that object is evidence that the digital monsters have claimed you," remarked Mizutani. "I'd say that we should add you to our lists. It seems that Tai and Kari aren't the only ones who need to be separated from a threat."

"What 'threat'?" whispered Ai, her young face twisting in confusion and frustration.

"The digimon," she answered. "Whichever of those digital anomalies that has decided to act as a parasite and became attached to you. Tell me, child, is it just you who will have their life ruined by these things or is your brother suffering similarly?"

For several moments, Mrs. Kamiya and the children stared at the blond woman and the dark suited men. The sheer animosity of these individuals was overwhelming to see. The parent felt a deep sense of dread. The hatred wasn't aimed at her children or the children she was currently guarding, but it _was_ directed at the beings that the kids cared about the most.

Frowning, Mako mumbled, "You're wrong. He isn't bad. And when he gets back, you'll be sorry."

Pulling out the strange weapon with the satellite dish for a muzzle, the woman showed it to the twins, "This is a Digital Destabilizer or DD-gun as the 'imaginative' employees are calling it. With it in our possession, whatever digimon that is connected to you will have only two choices: surrender to us and be brought back with us for study or risk being destroyed in the capture process. Either way, you'll be better off. Whether you believe it or not, this is for your own good. It doesn't matter if a digimon is supposedly 'good' or 'bad,' they can only cause harm."

"How do _you_ know?" snapped Ai accusingly. "You're just a grown up. And a big meanie. What do you know about important stuff?"

Mrs. Kamiya nearly scolded the girl for her rudeness, but stopped herself. While the child's tone was completely inappropriate for addressing an adult, the blond-haired woman and her fellow invaders were not making themselves well liked by anyone. Besides, it wasn't her job to teach manners to everyone. She had enough problems handling Tai, Kari, and their digimon.

Mizutani gained an odd look, but seemed to shrug it off after a moment, "I just know. Besides, adults know what is best for children and having monsters following them around is dangerous. We'll take care of that problem."

"We won't let you hurt Impmon or take him away," Mako declared softly. "He's our friend and our partner."

One of the dark suited men, standing guard by the sliding door, stated firmly, "As soon as the digimon enter the residence, we have orders to subdue and capture the specific specimens Agumon and Gatomon. Those two are the only creatures we are required to return with. Any other digimon are expendable. When your digimon returns, we will try to capture it, but if we cannot do that, there is no reason to keep it alive. And there is no way to prevent us from fulfilling our mission."

* * *

**The bubble she and Fate watched from was clear from their viewpoint, but it hid its inhabitants completely from those outside. The defensive forcefield, provided by her D-arc, made the girl and digimon invisible and undetectable to those they needed to observe. It was perfect for situations where they only needed to watch and ensure that events occurred as needed, all while remaining protected.**

**And safety was truly an issue. They were near a battle between the children and digimon who would soon face a deadly threat to two worlds and a mega drowning in darkness and violence** (all of their faces and identities blurring as she tried to recall specifics). **The cruel virus already had shattered one child's heart and drove a second into blind fury. His heartless destruction of the girl's partner forced the boy into unleashing a monstrosity of his own.**

"**Scary, isn't it?" Fate commented slowly as the giant, crimson dragon transformed into a deadly mega. "One of their team's main 'good guys' ends up creating something that could destroy the world just by existing. Why is it the nicest and least cruel kids always have the potential to become the worst threats?"**

**Destiny shrugged, "The higher and greater you start, the farther you can fall into darkness. But those who are cloaked in shadows can soar into the brightest light if they choose to try."**

"**You've been practicing your 'mumbo-jumbo' talk again, haven't you?"**

**The prophetess grinned, but her hood hid her face, "It's a fact. The one who is now causing the greatest pain will be spared by someone who has no reason to. And he'll soon risk the most to redeem himself."**

"**Well, right now he's crushing a monkey," reminded her partner. "And we both know what's coming soon."**

**Sighing, she nodded, "He'll barely get a chance to seek forgiveness from those he's abandoned and those he's betrayed before it is all snatched away."**

"**Doesn't really seem fair, Dee," Fate remarked softly. "I know that girl no longer has a partner, but that doesn't mean its right for anyone else to be separated."**

"**It has to happen. Nothing lasts forever," she whispered. "Not even the strongest of bonds."**

**Trying to lighten the mood, her partner jokingly suggested "At this rate, our job is going to last forever. How long does it take for this kid to figure out he's…" The rookie was interrupted as the monsterous dragon became a knight with white armor and a red cape. "Now he's got it right."**

Destiny frowned. While this memory wasn't quite what she was looking for, she could tell she was getting closer. She could almost recognize some of the individuals that were in the foggy background of the event. Many of them were still hidden, but she knew Gallantmon when she saw him.

The prophetess sighed softly and pulled her attention back to the present moment, where a spiky-haired adult embraced his oversized friend. Riku and BigAgumon were too happy to be together again. But she wasn't done. She still had a duty to fulfill.

* * *

"'Dark Ocean'?" asked Rika, raising an eyebrow. "Better name than that dark dimension place we found, but not by much."

"That place is really evil," Kari shivered. "You can just feel it and I keep getting pulled in there un-expectantly."

"It happened only about two times," corrected Gatomon, "but that was two times too many."

"Last time, at least, it wasn't just Kari," T.K. remarked.

The Digidestined of Light smiled ruefully, "Yeah, Yolei can really get someone focused in a crisis. She wouldn't let me just freak out."

As soon as they made it out of the forest, the group found an empty plain of tall grass that stretched to the foothills of the mountain. After some debate, they decided that riding on Kyubimon and Pegasusmon would make more sense than everyone walking through vegetation that reached above Patamon and Gatomon's heads. So, Kari and T.K. rode on the winged horse while the feline and Rika traveled on the giant fox. It wasn't a perfect arrangement, but it was faster than any other.

"And we've also been to this 'Dream World,' which was just weird," described T.K.. "It's a place where dreams really can come true."

"Okay, I _know_ you're making that one up," Rika accused. "That sounds like 'the land of the DigiGnomes.' I'll bet there's a catch."

"Of course," nodded the boy. "You see, we…"

"Corona Sanctions!"

The pillar of fire, summoned by a familiar voice, erupted before the group and forced them to dive for safety. Tumbling off the back of her partner, the red-head could only briefly wonder if their attacker was alone before grabbing her D-arc.

* * *

His parents once dressed him in adorable hats and tried to make him look "cute." The days of him conforming to their wishes were long since gone. The soon-to-be college students wore his ink black hair slicked down, hiding most of his face and only his right brown eye could gaze out into the world unhindered. His baggy jeans, chosen for their dark blue shade and carefully crafted holes, worked with the dark grey shirt (complete with skull and crossbones across the front and the sleeves torn off). The eighteen year old added a spiky bracelet on his left wrist, a silver bat necklace around his neck, and a replicated fang earring dangling from his right ear to finish off his chosen image.

Rather than responding to the name "Joji Tojo," he required that everyone address him as "Jay." A stupid nickname, but it reminded him of his best friend. Though the teen hadn't seen the little pest in nearly a decade, he still remembered the various ways that his partner spiced up his life in such a short time period. Rather than remember the kid's full name, he shortened it to a letter, "J".

Jay leaned back on his bed, sketch pad in hand. An art scholarship, hard earned, did little to pacify his parents' concerns. They worried that his drawings, as skillfully portrayed as they were, were not enough to guarantee a stable career and viable income source. They worried his nightmarish subjects (clawed beasts, winged demons, glowing red eyes, and brutal fights) and his questionable fashion choices meant something went wrong in his upbringing. They felt that they made a mistake in their raising of their son. Honestly, he just expressed himself as he chose and didn't care what impression it created.

The black-haired youth carefully began the outline of a clawed hand, pressing down on a crushed car. This picture would be a delicate balance between light and shadow, between what could be seen and what hid out of sight. Eventually, he planned to go over the entire thing in inks to complete the effect.

"Nice work. I recognize that digimon," a young girl commented, standing by his window in a relaxed manner. How she could have gotten in unnoticed was the real question. While Jay tried to slow his heart rate down, she continued, "Of course, it should be familiar to you. Though, last time I saw, he was in his rookie stage."

The black-haired teen dropped his pencil and sketch pad and leapt to his feet at her words, "You… You know Tsukaimon? How?"

"I came to reunite him with you," she explained. "Once more, there is a danger to the harmony of the world. Two worlds, actually. And though digidestined exist across the globe, you were one of the first. Will you accept this duty once more, to save those who are threatened, and come with me?"

"Duh," Jay responded. "Save the world and see my partner? Where do I sign up?"

He yanked open his dresser drawer, pulling out a grey digivice with navy blue buttons, and snatched a pair of sneakers from under his bed. His unfinished drawing remained on his blanket to be found by a concerned mother in a couple of hours when she came to announce dinner.

**And there is the "T.K" of the original DigiDestined. Hope you like him. He's the youngest of that group and he's the rebellious teenager about to head away from home. Perfect for his partner.**

**Yes, I'm kind of evil. You'll likely be sending me comments on how cruel I'm being, but things will be picking up as I continue. Reviews are always appreciated.**


	30. Trust

**Okay, time for another wonderful chapter. And as many of you mentioned, Impmon is not going to be a happy digimon when he gets back. Look on the bright side, Mizutani actually believes she is doing the right thing for the kids. The others with her are just doing their job and don't care one way or the other.**

**There should be a real treat near the end of the chapter. There will be another type of print (underlined) that will represent another special situation. It should be easy to identify, but I'll explain at the end. I hope you enjoy it.**

When the initial shock of the invasion began to wear off, Mrs. Kamiya had returned to the kitchen and mixing her batter in order to distract herself from the current situation. But even as her hands went through the motions of preparing the healthy (if inedible) food, her eyes watched the strangers for any signs of threat. She also stared at the twins as they resumed their coloring on the floor.

The young pair of children were doing more than simply working on an art project. Their four year olds' minds were planning. While their options were limited, they were determined to find a way to keep their partner safe. So they combined the awesome might of their young imaginations in order to devise a plan.

"We can't call someone for help," Mako whispered. "We don't know any phone numbers and the bad guys are listening anyway."

"They want to hurt Impmon when he comes back or steal him," his sister reminded softly. "If he shows up, they'll get him and take him away forever."

"Can't he beat them? He's tough and they're not even as creepy as some bad digimon."

"But they'll surprise him. He'll come in and won't know about the bad guys until they get him."

"What if we warn him about the trap?" Mako suggested hopefully.

Ai shook her head, "All the meanies would hear or see us. We don't even know how to do that. Rika and Jeri haven't shown us how to do that with our D-arc yet."

For some reason, Mizutani hadn't tried to take away their device or their new crest. She'd seemed to have considered it momentarily, but left the items where they were. Not that the twins would have let her take them without throwing a tantrum (and possibly biting her).

Frowning, her brother tossed his crayon down and muttered, "Well, do _you_ have any ideas?"

The young girl, after a moment of considering, nodded slowly. Her eyes drifted sadly down to her current drawing. It held two shapes that could be called humans and a purple one that they both loved, even in its current crayon form. Judging from the trees in the picture, Mako guessed she'd drawn the three of them at the park.

"I know how we can keep him safe," she whispered, "but you aren't going to like it. We just make sure he never, ever comes back here."

Her brother stared at her, uncomprehending of her idea. After a moment, it began to dawn him. He shook his head, unwilling to accept his sister's plan.

"No, we promised."

"But we have to," she reasoned, her voice cracking softly as she tried to remain firm with her painful plan. "Don't you see? If we keep him safe, isn't it worth it? We love him and even if…"

Mako slowly nodded, "Right. He'll be alright at least."

"Ready? We have to be really loud so he'll hear us before he comes in."

The young boy took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and shrieked, "Ai stole my crayon!"

* * *

Rika glanced up at their attacker and, as she'd guessed, it was Marsmon. Instead of having Valkyrimon and Dianamon both to back him up this time, it was just the avian mega. Doubtless the data type's speed had something to do with their abrupt appearance.

The red-head shot a look at her companions. Patamon was back at the rookie level, but both T.K. and Kari were holding their D-3's firmly. Gatomon dashed over to join the brown-haired girl. Rika's partner stepped beside the tamer and they locked their gaze on their opponent.

"Another sneak attack? How honorable," spat Rika. "Come for another fight or do you plan to run away again?"

Marsmon took a step forward, "I've come to complete our duel, human. Our master still wishes for us to deal with the stubborn digimon who threaten our world by aligning with the humans. And even if you are only females, you and your traitorous digimon offer at least _some_ challenge."

"And is your friend intending to stab us in the back while you distract us?" she asked, seeing Kyubimon dedigivolve beside her.

"He can keep your friends occupied until I'm through," the vaccine mega shrugged.

"We can handle this canary," called Gatomon. "You focus on the muscle-bound gorilla."

The girl felt a brief second of doubt, wondering if she would spend the fight watching her back for Valkyrimon, before shoving it away and focusing on her target. She needed to hope that she could depend on the others to keep him out of the way. She held up the blue-ringed D-arc.

"Renamon Biomerge to…"

"Patamon Digivolve to…"

"Gatomon Digivolve to…"

"Sakuyomon!"

"Angemon!"

"Angewomon!"

The two angelic digimon and the golden-armored shaman appeared out of the burst of light and turned to their respective opponents. Marsmon produced a condescending smile as he raised his fists.

"Ladies first," he remarked.

"Idiots last," the fox-lady answered. "Twin Blades of Beauty and Truth!"

Using her staff, she created two pink rings around herself. They then shot out at Marsmon with deadly accuracy. The mega deflected the attack with the metal rings on his wrists. He smiled as the Biomerged digimon frowned at his actions.

"You'll have to do better than that, female," he taunted.

She glanced over at the others, spotting Valkyrimon and Angewomon exchanging arrows as her male counterpart swung his staff at the avian digimon's head. The golden falcon, earlier perched on Valkyrimon's wrist, was now circling the trio. Sakuyamon tore her attention back to the panther-man before her.

The golden being announced, "Talisman Sphere!" and formed a crystalline barrier charged with pure power that only a shaman digimon could create. The shield expanded quickly, crashing into Marsmon and knocking him back in surprise. Last time he had observed this sort of attack from her, she'd used it to contain his fiery pillar rather than directly striking him. "That looked painful."

"Hardly," he remarked before launching at her with the intent to physically punch her.

"Spirit Strike!" she called, summoning the fox-shaped entities to combat the mega.

"Predictable," scoffed the vaccine as he smacked them away like before.

The shaman digimon had expected him to deflect the colorful spirits and was already preparing another attack while he was distracted. Shifting her staff in her grip, she chose her next move.

"Amethyst Mandala!"

Around Marsmon, a huge ring of golden energy formed. Too caught up with the fox-spirits directly attacking him, he didn't immediately notice the new threat until the ring began to contract around him. At that point, the mega began struggling against his crushing restraints.

Rika, within her blue sphere of awareness, once more felt the urge to assure herself that the avian opponent wasn't about to attack from behind. Diverting part of her attention away from the golden trap, she checked again that the two angels were fulfilling their promise to keep Valkyrimon occupied.

That short lapse in concentration was all Marsmon needed. Forcing his arms outwards, he shattered the ring that bound him. The backlash of the attack's destruction knocked Sakuyamon out of the air. She did manage to catch herself before she fell flat on her face at least, throwing out the end of her staff to maintain her balance.

"Rika, you need to remain focused on our opponent," Renamon's voice reminded. "Do you not trust our companions to handle Valkyrimon as they said they would? Would you doubt Gallantmon or MegaGargomon like this?"

"I…," the girl began before Marsmon interrupted.

"Mugen Hadou!"

The fire on his cuffs engulfed his fists. With speed that would make his avian team mate jealous, he punched Sakuyamon hard in the stomach. His next blow connected to the left side of her face. His flaming fist struck the back of her head next. For several seconds, he rained down long combinations of painful blows on the fox-lady. The speed and ferocity left the Biomerged mega too stunned to gasp out in pain. To finish off his attack, Marsmon struck the ground and a pillar of fire exploded out of the ground.

When the flames cleared, Rika and Renamon were left battered on the ground. They weren't, however, out of trouble yet. As the red-haired tamer stumbled to her feet, the vaccine shook his head at the pair.

"I expected better of you after your first attempt," he remarked disappointedly. "But I shouldn't have. You are, after all, females."

"Celestial Arrow!" cried Angewomon, firing on the muscular mega.

T.K. and Kari, who'd run up behind the girl while her attention was on Marsmon, began to quickly help her and Renamon upright.

"You okay?" the boy asked, his face showing concern for the pair. "I mean, I know you're not okay, but…"

"You're starting to sound like Davis," Kari interrupted. "You're babbling."

Rika nodded, "I'm fine. Renamon?"

The yellow fox nodded; her icy blue glancing at her partner. The red-haired girl felt ashamed that her distraction allowed them to lose their grip on Marsmon. Why couldn't she have just focused on the one digimon she was supposed to?

"Angemon," shouted the vaccine champion's partner, "I think you better go up a level."

Of course. An ultimate and champion would work against a single mega, especially since the angels were powerful anyway. But Angemon wouldn't be able to hold his own against a mega if Angewomon was facing another mega and couldn't help him. And they didn't have a mega of their own anymore because of a certain tamer.

"Angemon Digivolve to… MagnaAngemon!"

The new ultimate now possessed a total of eight wings, a glowing purple sword on his right wrist, and a beam shield on his left shoulder. His helm was now purple and longer than the grey one of Angemon. Four of his white wings wrapped around his body along with twin yellow ribbons covered in digi-code.

"Laser Javelin!" shouted Valkyrimon.

His explosive projectile struck the transformed angelic digimon, but it didn't seem to have seriously harmed him. Before MagnaAngemon could return his own attack, the agile avian digimon dashed behind him. With his incredible speed, the mega drew his weapon from his sheath.

"Feral Sword!" the vaccine opponent announced as he swung his blade and froze several of the angel's multiple wings.

Grimacing, Rika felt her hand clench into a fist by her side. She hated being helpless. Now she was forced to stand at the sidelines with her partner because of a stupid mistake. Why did she let this happen?

Because Renamon was right, she realized. She'd been distracted away from Marsmon for one simple reason. She lacked trust. She hadn't trusted the Digidestined and their partners enough to keep Valkyrimon away from their duel. So she'd kept watching for them to fail their promise.

And it wasn't the first time she'd been suspicious of trusting people who just wanted to help. Henry, Takato, and their partners were met with disapproval, feelings of superiority, and distrust of their reliability. How many times did they have to prove themselves before she began to actually believe she could depend on someone beyond herself? For that matter, there were points she didn't trust her own partner. In addition to viewing Renamon as a tool, she'd even been stupid enough to accuse her of not trying hard enough. It all came back to her trust issues.

"I'm sorry," she sighed slowly, catching the Digidestined and her partner's attention. "I should have known better."

"It's not your fault that…," began Kari, but Rika interrupted.

"Yes, it is. I was acting stupid and distrustful again. I didn't trust you guys enough and allowed myself to be distracted by it."

T.K. tried to assure her, "You barely know us. It's hard to trust strangers."

"But I barely give people a chance. I just don't trust," she continued, her eyes narrowing as Angemon and Marsmon. "I never trust anyone and that's going to get me and my partner killed."

The Digidestined of Light actually smiled at this, "Sounds like someone is having an epiphany moment."

The red-head nodded, "There are people I can trust though. I can trust Renamon. I can trust Grandma and Mom to stand by me and love me, even if they don't always understand me. I can trust Takato to be a goggle-head, but dependable and Henry to be understanding of everyone's viewpoint. I can trust Guilmon, Jeri, and Calumon to be too caring for their own good. I trust that Terriermon, Kazu, and Impmon will continue to annoy me, but will remain loyal when things get tough. I trust that Leomon and Guadromon will keep up their 'hero behavior,' even if the robot is kind of naïve. I trust my friends and I trust that not everyone I meet will break that trust."

Both Digidestined adopted a grin as the girl finished her miniature speech and the white card around her neck began to glow. While Rika looked surprised, the pair seemed to be expecting the reaction.

"Well, I think we know your crest now," the Digidestined of Hope commented.

On the white surface, blue lines appeared. Two diamonds interlocked, like links of a chain, were set vertically on her crest and matched the shade of blue of her D-arc. Even more importantly, she could feel power radiating off. It was a warm sensation that eased away the earlier damage that Marsmon caused. And a strange ringing sounded in her ears.

She received an even bigger surprise when the ringing became voices. It wasn't one voice, but several of multiple genders, volumes, and tones that overlapped so seamlessly that the individual ones could hardly be noticed. In the end, the effect was similar to having one, gender-neutral voice with only the slightest sense of echoing. Out of the corner of her eyes, Rika saw Renamon stiffen as the voices began. On the other hand, no one else reacted. Thus, the tamer felt confident only she and the fox rookie could hear it.

Trust. The belief that others can be depended on and that they can depend on you in return. Fragile and easily broken, bonds forged in trust can still support the weight of friendship.

Easy to lose and difficult to regain when lost, it is a precious gift to possess. It means you can rely on them to be there in all situations. They can be entrusted to be there in all of that befalls you.

Trust is not only being able to have faith in others, but to keep their trust in return. Those you depend on shall rely on you in return. When they reach out, they will know you will take their hand. Neither shall believe that the other shall betray.

Trust.

Blinking as the sound faded away, Rika once more looked at her earlier opponent. Angewomon was blocking the flaming fist directed at her with a cross-like shape acting as a shield. Marsmon seemed vaguely frustrated, but still confident.

Taking the crest in one hand and her D-arc in the other, the tamer asked, "Ready for another try, Renamon?"

"Always."

Slashing the card-shaped object through the device, the girl announced, "Digi-Modify! Crest of Trust Activate!"

Once more, the two individuals were enveloped in light. This time, however, the power seemed infinitely greater.

"Renamon Crest Biomerge to… Sakuyamon Trust Mode!"

* * *

Marsmon was growing increasingly frustrated with all the females. He barely defeats the fox-lady mega before an even more feminine-looking ultimate took her place. At least with Sakuyamon, there was a challenge with her variety of attacks. Angewomon was more straightforward. If his master had not requested that they try again against these partnered digimon, this time in smaller groups if possible, then the proud mega would not have wasted his time with the angel.

"Why do you not switch with the other angel so that I might fight a proper opponent for once?" he asked as she blocked his blows with another "Heaven's Charm."

The female digimon smiled below her metal helm, "I'm simply keeping you entertained until its time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for us to rejoin the fun," a dual voice answered.

Recognizing the speaker as Sakuyamon, he turned away from Angewomon in favor of the slightly more interesting challenge. To his surprise, the data type was not quite as he remembered.

In general shape, she seemed the same. A shaman in golden armor still remained, but certain details were different. Her golden staff, the pole once smooth, was now covered in digi-code wrapped around its length and spiraling down to the end. They spelt out the words "Sakuyamon Trust Mode" in their strange shapes. One end, still bearing the golden rings that rattled rhythmically, now held a sapphire at the pointed tip and seemed to contain an inner glow. Her golden armor still protected her form, but at the top of her purple boots, the back of her wrists where a pair of her many yin-yang symbols once adorned her, and the center of her chest where her collarbone would end, a sapphire-blue orb was embedded. The one on her chest had thin gold lines forming two interlocking diamonds on the smooth blue surface. Her silvery hair, previously drawn back in a pair of ponytails, now flowed freely behind her. Her golden mask still hid her face except for her lavender lips, but now twin sapphire gems were placed like false eyes on the fox-like covering.

"May we cut in, Angewomon?" the transformed mega requested.

The angel nodded, "I'll help out MagnaAngemon then. We'll handle Valkyrimon."

"I trust you," smiled Sakuyamon. Turning her attention back to the staring Marsmon, the smile changed into a smirk, "Let's try this again, shall we?"

A small, blue flame appeared at the end of her staff. Twisting the long pole in a circle, the small flame left a trail behind it. When she held the staff back in its original position, a thin ring of fire now stood between them. The blue flames brightened until they began to glow white. The entire process took only seconds to achieve.

"Try knocking this one aside," the human girl's voice suggested smugly. "Ring of Truth!"

Turning on its side, the white-hot flames spun at him like a sawblade. Raising his fist towards the threat, Marsmon felt something he hadn't in a long time.

He felt that he'd found a worthy opponent.

**Man, that was too awesome. I kept rewriting part of this, trying to get her to look right. It took thirty chapters to have the first crest activated, but it was completely worth it. I hope she turned out alright. And yes, when these crest activate, the kids and the digimon get a brief explanation of their crest's power. That will be represented as underlined. **

**Since Rika was the originally the lone wolf of the group, like Matt from season 1, she ended up with the crest that is difficult for her. Just like Friendship was harder for the boy. And she had one of those epiphany moments that the kids always have when they get their crest or digi-egg power to work the first time. Of course, Rika is going to never tell anyone that she made a mini-speech like that.**

**Reviews are deeply appreciated. Especially since I want to know how this went over. And if you can draw, I would love to see someone draw some of the things from my story. This includes digimon, DigiDestined, the new crests, etc. Like I said, I love your feedback.**


	31. Arguing Twins

**Hey people out in cyber-space! I received some nice feedback on the last chapter and most people seem to like the new mode. I wish to state that all the new crest modes are my invention, but you are welcome to borrow to write about them and/or draw them. Just let me know first.**

**And while I know you're all dying to see Sakuyamon Trust Mode beating the snot out of Marsmon, I have other ideas first. We'll be checking in with another few characters.**

Izzy felt relieved that Impmon was where he left him. He half expected to come back to an empty alleyway. Instead, the viral rookie seemed to have amused himself by forming small fireballs and tossing them from hand to hand like a juggler while the boy was gone. The lack of panicked screams clearly told the youth that the purple digimon actually kept his word on remaining out of trouble.

When the Digidestined of Knowledge turned into the alley, the emerald eyes glanced over boredly. Impmon extinguished the flames and nodded acknowledgement at his presence. Stretching his arms above his head, the digimon gave every impression of not caring what the boy had found out during recon.

"Don't bother boring me yet, Techno-Geek," the virus ordered. "Wait until the Goggle-head can ask a bunch of stupid questions. Trust me, they'll bug you to death and it's easier to get it all taken care of in one try. I'll meet you there."

Without waiting for an answer, Impmon vanished up the side of the building and out of the boy's view. Izzy shook his head at the rookie. This particular digimon was going to take some getting used to.

* * *

The game was going fairly well. Tai completely out-classed Takato at soccer, due to his experience at the sport and by being older. But neither goggle-head seemed to be the type to give in without a fight, so the younger boy kept running as they kicked the black and white sphere down the field. Guilmon, surprisingly, made an effective goalie, regardless of how easily distracted he seemed. He was fast on his feet and his larger body could defend his goal more easily than Agumon. And the red reptile could deflect the ball back at high speed by swinging his tail like a bat.

Jeri, running beside the competing boys, kept score as the game progressed. Her tall partner leaned against a tree trunk, watching the humans and dinosaurs in amusement. Tentomon was further up in the branches of the tree. The insect was partially watching the game and partially keeping an eye out for anyone who might wander onto their gathering.

Of course, Tentomon was watching the ground. So he was as surprised as anyone else when a purple shape shot out of another tree and stole the ball from Tai.

"Hey!" the Digidestined shouted in surprise.

"Playtime's over, Hairball," Impmon smirked. "Techno-Geek'll be here soon. Generally, it's good to listen to the results of recon. Or you could go pick-up some refreshments for us instead."

At this point, the insect spotted his partner jogging towards them, his precious laptop tucked under his arm. Though he would never win any athletic contests, anyone who dealt with digimon learned to move quickly. Whether the occasion called for running _towards_ the threat or away, all the Digidestined could cover ground in a hurry. And Izzy was demonstrating that skill.

"You _couldn't_ wait for me?" the youth panted.

"You _couldn't_ keep up?" shot back the virus. "You snooze, you lose."

"I just needed to try to pull up a few things on my laptop as I moved," Izzy explained, opening his computer again as the humans and digimon gathered around. The Digidestined sat down against the same tree Tentomon currently occupied. The insect flew down from his perch to join his partner. "And what I found is extremely concerning."

"What? Do they advertise on their website 'evil, digimon-haters work here' or something?" Tai asked.

"Not exactly, but there are some hints that things aren't exactly right," replied the boy. "First off, the name of the group who work in the 'building of doom' is Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing. They seem to be some kind of computer protection company at first glance. The front desk guard even said they deal with viruses and spam in the internet. But when I run a search on them, almost nothing comes up. In fact, the only real piece of information I could find was that they hired a contractor to completely remodel the building to very specific requirements and to have the work finished in a month."

"That's pretty fast," Jeri commented. "It took quite a while to fix all the damage to the city after the D-reaper incident. Especially the Hypnos building."

"Well, they hired the contractor in early January," continued the Digidestined. "Shortly after the public learned about digimon."

"It seems Gennai and Impmon's concerns about the threat from the group is well founded," remarked Leomon.

"I thought we agreed on that when I told you the building tried to fry me like a bug-zapper," the purple digimon mumbled, but with a slightly more respectful tone than Tentomon had heard him use with anyone else. "The place should come with a warning label. 'Warning, don't touch.' Please tell me that we know more than the building is dangerous."

"We have a name with little information for it," Tentomon summarized. "It's not much, but it is still more than we had this morning."

"So, what's the plan?" Takato asked, glancing over at the Digidestined of Courage expectantly.

Tai shrugged slightly. Everyone of the original group that still saw the teenager on a regular basis could see the change in his personality. The fire that once burned in his eyes had dimmed to a mere flicker. Matt would have been the best to figure out what was wrong with him and snap Tai out of it, but the blond musician spent so much time with the band that he seemed to be oblivious to the shift in behavior. Izzy didn't know what to do and Tentomon had no advice to offer. Even Agumon wasn't sure what Tai needed to do in order to regain his old personality.

After a moment, the spiky-haired youth suggested, "We should call my mom and check on the little kids. Next, we should send out an e-mail to the various digidestined to see if the name Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing is familiar to them."

"If we can't find it on the web, do you really think that they'll let the digidestined know about it?" asked Izzy.

"You never know and it might work," Tai defended. "Unless you'd rather try the old-fashhion 'storm the castle' routine?"

"It would be nice to hear you suggest it," the insect digimon mumbled to himself. What happened to the boy who found a way to enter the internet by sheer force of will to help his partner become Omnimon? Where was the determined teen who would rather risk fighting his partner than leave Agumon enslaved? What happened to the Tai who ran risks and was willing to _try_ to face threats head on? "Where's the old Tai?"

"Fine, if you're calling your house," Izzy remarked to the spiky-haired boy, "you better remind the twins not to eat anything your mother offers. They're too young to die. Especially from her cooking."

"I'll put it on speaker so you can warn them about the jerky shakes yourself," he grinned, pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

Mizutani felt like pulling her blond hair out in frustration. The two young children had abruptly begun arguing at a screaming level and did not stop even after their faces turned red. One of her four standard-issue, brainless goons, his patience evidently wearing thin more quickly than hers, tried to stomp over and stop the noise, but the woman intercepted him and sent him back to his corner with a harsh glare. They were just kids, after all. It wasn't their fault they were tangled up in all of this. It was these digimon.

She left the white and purple object around the girl's neck. Common sense and everything she'd learned told her she should take it away from the twins. It served as part of the dangerous connection to the digimon, "Impmon." But, for some reason, Mizutani couldn't bring herself to take it. The thought of taking away the small object was nearly sickening and she couldn't explain why.

And the girl's question about how she knew that digimon could only lead to pain was dwelling on her mind. Before this moment, the blond-haired woman never even paused to consider it. As soon as she learned what a digimon was, she simply knew that the creatures must be hated. In the same way, she felt that she couldn't trust digimon, she now felt that she couldn't take away the small object around the child's neck.

The young children, accusing each other various "crimes," refused to tell their last name, didn't know their address or phone number, and ended up calling one of the pushier DADP employees a "smelly, yucky Numemon." Mrs. Kamiya offered little more information on the pair, stating they were new friends of her children and that she didn't know anything else. The lack of knowledge was troubling, but they would work around it. It was more important that they help the kids than to know every detail of their life. Do firefighters pause to request someone's age while rescuing them from a burning building?

"Could someone shut the brats up?" growled the frustrated man by the sliding door.

Tamiko Mizutani narrowed her eyes at him, "They are children. They fight. Get over it. You will leave them alone or you'll deal with me. We're here to help them."

"Would you like something to eat?" Mrs. Kamiya asked; her voice sharp even as she offered politely. Even as her hostess instincts kicked in, the mother let the group know her displeasure with them. "I have some cookies still and the cake is baking."

The dark-haired man guarding the front door raised his hand in silent request. A frown never leaving her face, the brunette woman passed him the snack. Mizutani could understand her feelings at the intruders of her home, but she did wish the mother knew why they were doing this.

It was at that point that the phone began to ring, catching everyone off guard. Mrs. Kamiya glanced between the phone and the blond-haired woman.

"You can answer," Mizutani nodded. "Just watch what you say. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

The mother glared angrily at her, likely thinking that Mizutani was essentially threatening to harm her and the arguing pair of children. But the blond woman would never allow that. She was here to help those who needed it the most. She wouldn't hurt them. All she wanted to do was free them from the digimon attached to them. It was for their own good.

* * *

Tai kept his word and put his cell phone on speaker so the entire group could hear and speak to his mother and the twins. After a few rings, the other line was answered by Mrs. Kamiya. Her voice seemed a little strained, but she didn't immediately say anything out of the ordinary.

"Hello, this is the Kamiya residence," she greeted.

"Hey, Mom," the spiky-haired boy answered cheerfully. "How's everything back home? You're on speaker, so say 'hi'."

"Hello, Tai," sighed his parent, sounding strangely unhappy to hear him. "Everything is under control here."

Jeri, listening not just to the words, could tell something was wrong. Not only was the tone wrong, but there was another pair of voices shrieking in the background. She never heard Ai and Mako scream at each other like that. The brown-haired tamer wondered what could have sparked off the fight.

Glancing at their partner, she could tell she wasn't the only one who noticed the twins' behavior. Impmon's eyes stared at the phone, completely stunned at their voices coming out.

"Well, we wanted to check in on…" continued the Digidestined, but someone snatched the cell phone out of his hand.

"Hey, toots, could you put the munchkins on for a second?" Impmon asked.

There was a pause on the other end and a mumble as Tai glanced between the rookie and his now empty hand. Likely, Mrs. Kamiya was telling the young pair to behave. Her instructions were apparently ignored.

Ai's voice shrieked harshly over the speaker, "Impmon, Mako's been a bad boy."

"What?" her brother shouted. "You stole my crayon first. It's not my fault."

"You're just being a big baby. You still shouldn't have broken my doll last week."

"The head goes back on," Mako reminded. "And I'm not a baby."

His sister screamed, "It was still a mean thing to do. And you didn't even say you were sorry when you did it either."

"Well, you didn't ask to use the crayon either. That makes you bad too," shouted the young boy. "You need to be punished."

"And you need to be punished more than I do," she snapped. If Jeri was any judge on the matter, it sounded like the child was on the verge of frustrated tears. "You're going to be in big trouble with Mommy and Impmon. They'll make you sorry. Tell him, Impmon."

Throughout the pair's argument, the purple rookie's expression ran through a series of different emotions. First, he looked deeply confused and hurt by their shrill shrieks. Then, Jeri could see realization cross his face. Finally, his pale features twisted into pure fury. In fact, his anger was a little frightening to observe up close.

His voice, however, was very controlled and calm. Anyone who knew him would realize that he was rarely this perfectly calm-sounding without a hint of sarcasm, especially when he looked like he wanted to rip something apart.

"Don't worry about it, munchkins. I'll take care of everything."

Rather than passing the cell phone back to Tai as calmly as he was currently speaking, Impmon hurled the small object at the boy with surprising force. Snarling softly, the virus type actually punched the tree in frustrated anger.

"…I got to go," Tai stated slowly into the phone, distracted by the purple rookie. "Bye."

After the boy turned the phone off, Impmon actually glared at the Digidestined, or at least the object in his hand, with enough rage that the human took a step back. Takato glanced between the older goggle-head and the ticked off rookie.

"Impmon, could you please tell us _why_ you look like you're about to kill someone?"

"Because I'm seriously considering it," he answered sharply.

"Just because the twins were arguing on the phone?" Agumon asked.

"No, Pumpkin-head," the purple rookie snapped harshly. "Look, you idiots just don't get it."

"Then explain," requested Jeri.

Rather than lashing out at her like everyone else who spoke to him, he took a breath and focused on the confused humans and digimon rather than the target of his anger. He was still furious, but the digimon was no longer acting like he was about to storm off immediately.

"Fine, I'll explain it slow enough that even Pineapple-head at his most dense could get it," sighed Impmon, earning a hurt expression from Guilmon. "They were arguing and those two wouldn't do that. Especially if I could hear them."

"They're just kids," reminded Tai. 'Me and Kari didn't always get along perfectly growing up."

"They're afraid that if they fight with each other, I'll leave them," explained the viral rookie.

"Why would they think that?" Izzy asked.

"Because I did once," he replied tensely. "Getting away from the point. They _knew_ I could hear them. So, use your tiny minds and consider what possible reason they would do that. Why would they do something they're terrified would make me abandon them?"

As he continued to talk, the digimon's voice rose in volume and he regained his tone of fury. As the Digidestined, tamers, and partners exchanged looks, Jeri felt the pieces fall into place.

"To protect you," she answered. "To keep you from coming back there. It's a trap."

Nodding curtly, Impmon finished, "Exactly. Someone is in that apartment with _my_ tamers and the lack of citywide destruction means it's probably a human problem. Either way, someone is going to pay."

"Wait, you think these Digital Anomaly creeps are holding my mom and the little kids hostage and are waiting to grab us on our return?" asked Tai. "And we're just standing around here?"

"Give the Hairball a prize," snarled the purple virus type. "Now that we're caught up, I have some damage to do."

The rookie shifted to his mega level, raven-black wings sprouting from his back and a large cannon forming on his arm. Even as Beelzemon, his emerald eyes burned with anger at the idea of the twins in danger. Before he could take flight, Takato interrupted.

"Wait, isn't all of this," he gestured at the multiple weapons and larger shape of the virus, "a little much?"

Beelzemon sighed, rolled his eyes, and finally muttered, "Fine. No cannon." With a swift movement, he pulled his arm free of the oversized weapon and tossed it at Takato. "Catch."

The boy, panicking slightly at the heavy object about to collide with him, ended up catching a small toy gun. He blinked in surprise at the piece of plastic in his hands.

"Don't lose it," growled the mega.

As he spread his wings again, Jeri called out, "Hold on, you're not going alone."

"She's right," Tai announced. "My mom's being held captive too. You're not launching a rescue without Agumon and me for back-up."

"Without all of us," corrected Leomon. "If you haven't learned by now, you should pay attention to this fact. We do not turn our backs on any of our friends or allies. Your partners included. We'll help you to get them back and keep you from doing something impulsive and dangerous."

"A plan would be helpful, then," Izzy remarked.

Takato grinned, "And I think I have one. Just one question, Tai. How good is the insurance for your apartment building?"

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. A certain amount of destruction is in the future. Reviews are truly appreciated. The next update may be a little slower. I have a few papers coming up for school, but I'll work on this in my spare time. Wish me luck.**


	32. Battles, Talks, and Antiques

**Man, so many papers are going to be due soon. Because of that, it may be a while before my next update. Hope you like it and I'll keep the stories coming.**

**Now, I have a few notices to relay to you. Linkmaste already drew a lovely picture of Fatemon that is currently my icon. Another reader, MoonlitInuko, has also drawn a couple of pictures for my story. To find them (and one I drew of the crests), you'll need to look on Impkat's deviant art page and there is a link on my profile page. Beware, there is a spoiler in the description under the tamer's crest picture I drew (that picture also demonstrates that I have no visual art skills whatsoever). Feel free to check them out because MoonlitInuko can draw beautifully. Also, someone called cassie ryan is apparently extremely impatient for this chapter since they sent two reviews in two days asking for it. I update as quickly as I can and I ask that you be patient with me. I do my best on the speed.**

**That out of the way, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

**P.S. It is extremely hard to think of appropriate attack names. Especially if I don't want them to sound corny or stupid.**

The ring of white-hot fire slammed into Marsmon, undeflected by his attempt to backhand it away like previous attacks. But the crest-enhanced mega didn't stop there. Sakuyamon swung her staff around and the flaming shape turned and struck the vaccine type again. Another movement and the fiery ring changed course to crash into him again.

"This one is interesting," Rika's voice commented within the Biomerged mega. "You can't really miss. As long as the fires burn, we can steer it."

Renamon's voice cautioned, "But they do extinguish more quickly the more they strike the target."

She was right. By the time the ring slammed into him the fifth time, it was just a thin sliver of fire. Marsmon managed to slap the weakened attack out of the way at that point, frowning as the flames vanished. He wasn't nearly as overly egotistical acting now. The pelt on his back was singed and his chest was streaked with soot. He cracked his knuckles.

"Very well, female," he growled. "No more games. I shall face you as a warrior."

"That was his idea of games?" T.K. commented from the sidelines. "He should try playing with Puppetmon."

"About time," smiled the data type. "We can handle whatever you throw at us."

The flames around his wrists flared as he called out, "Mugen Hadou!"

Before he could strike, she announced, "Elemental Kitsune!"

Four colorful foxes sprang into existence in a similar fashion to her earlier "Spirit Strike," but each one was larger and more solid-looking. Their eyes glowed bright orange and as they snarled fiercely, their sharp fangs glistened white. Two of the creatures, one reddish-pink and one sky-blue, pounced at Marsmon. The pair dodged his fists and snapped at his face. Forced to change his focus towards the four-legged beasts, his fire-enshrouded hand struck the pink one. The fox absorbed the flames easily, seeming to grow with contact. The blue one collided with his other fist and soaked it in water. At this point, the green fox-like spirit struck at his chest like a hurricane, blowing the mega back. The final creature Sakuyamon had summoned crackled with electricity and glared skyward. Instead of attacking Marsmon like its siblings, it leapt off of the vaccine and shot through the air like a bolt of lightning to collide with Valkyrimon's golden falcon that circled the battlefield.

"Flare," called out the stunned avian vaccine as the bird crashed to the ground.

MagnaAngemon remarked, "I think you should be focusing on us, Valkyrimon. Excalibur!"

Sakuyamon didn't bother watching further. He and Angewomon would handle it. And Marsmon might be down, but he wasn't out. He was already struggling to his feet again.

"Okay, since we don't want to tick off the local kids, we need to try a nonlethal way to stop him," Rika muttered in her sphere of awareness. "Any ideas?"

Renamon's voice and awareness gave the tamer a possible option that caused her to grin. It was one of the forms new attacks and it was too perfect.

Concentrating on her new power, the five orbs on her body began to glow softly. The gemstones placed like eyes on her golden mask began glowing after a moment as well. Holding her staff in front of her, the data type summoned up large amounts of power into her form.

"Purifying Flame Protection!" she cried out, releasing the stored energy as a wall of blue flame.

Rather than stopping at a simple defense like the attacks most obvious purpose, Sakuyamon slammed it into Marsmon and pinned him to the ground. The vaccine type struggled for a few minutes before surrendering to the fact that he was trapped. The golden fox-lady waited patiently for the other mega to speak.

"…Very well," he sighed slowly. 'You are the victor, fem… Sakuyamon."

Nodding, the shaman digimon replied, "You were a worthy opponent and an honor to fight."

Glancing across the battlefield, the Biomerged mega could see Valkyrimon in a similar state of surrender. It seemed the pair of angelic ultimates succeeded in disarming the avian digimon. Of course, Rika had trusted they would.

"You are way too patient with me sometimes, Renamon," the girl smiled within the blue sphere. "You kept waiting for me to figure out that I couldn't keep distrusting people."

"I had faith you would eventually come to terms with it," her partner answered.

The tamer chuckled, "I can't believe my crest is 'trust.' It's almost as strange as the fact I gave a goggle-head, the 'power of friendship,' sappy speech. You're never allowed to tell the others I said any of that."

Chuckling softly, she answered, "You have my word, Rika."

Within her bubble of consciousness, the human sighed, "I guess this means I have to try trusting Destiny too."

Turning their attention outwards once more, Sakuyamo began to address the group's captives, "We need to have a little chat about why you feel the urge to split humans and digimon apart. And we need a better reason than 'our master said to' or the classic 'humans are evil.' Start at the beginning and keep talking."

* * *

Eventually realizing that wandering around without a plan or direction, Davis decided to submit to Henry's and Ken's suggestion of choosing a target destination. Terriermon, after climbing to the forest canopy to survey the landscape, reported a mountain in the distance perpendicular to their current direction. If they'd turned that way earlier, the group would have been crossing a plain. Now, if they chose to head for the only major landmark in sight, they would still be moving through the forest.

"Come on, it's a _mountain_," pointed out Davis. "At least some of the creeps that Tai and the others faced were connected to mountains somehow. Devimon was supposed to be on a mountain on File Island and then there was the whole Dark Masters and Spiral Mountain thing. It's not like we have a better target."

"If nothing else, it'll give us a decent view of the area," Henry sighed. "And I don't have any better ideas."

Smiling, the goggle-head laughed, "Yes! And we're going in style. Ready, Veemon?"

"You bet!"

"Veemon Armor digivolve to… Raidramon, the Storm of Friendship!"

As Ken, Wormmon, and Davis climbed on the black armored quadruped, Henry selected a pair of cards from his deck.

"Digi-Modify! Matrix Digivolution Activate!"

"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon! Gargomon Matrix digivolve to… Rapidmon!"

For the final touch, the tamer slid the second card through his green-ringed D-arc, "Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!"

"Race you," laughed the robotic rabbit, his partner perched on his shoulder, as they weaved through the trees.

"No fair," Davis called after them, his own digimon sprinting along the ground with the three passengers. "You've got way too many advantages."

"Can't help that," Rapidmon replied cheerfully. "I guess I'll win."

Henry, rolling his eyes, reminded, "This isn't a contest."

"Momentai," remarked the vaccine ultimate. "We're just having some fun."

The dark-haired boy sighed, shook his head, and resigned himself to the good-natured competition between his partner and the digidestined. At least they were making a better connection than Davis and Impmon. Or Davis and Rika. Or Rika and Destiny. Or Rika and… well, practically anyone beyond their close group of tamers. Making friends with strangers was always difficult. It generally required some understanding on both sides and it can be hard to sympathize with those you don't know.

Henry, or the other hand, always tried to see the other person's view. He could see why Zhuqiaomon hated humans, especially when he saw the damage the D-reaper caused to the digital world. He could understand why Yamaki once viewed digimon as lifeless pieces of data and mindless monsters to be destroyed, though Henry knew that view was completely wrong. And the boy could even see why his father and the other Monster Makers placed that program in Terriermon that defeated the D-reaper (for a time), but also resulted in the tamers losing their friends temporarily. He hated the fact he could see what logic his father used and that he could even empathize with the decision, Henry knew it was part of who he was. He was the one who always saw both sides of the story.

And now, he could see how a race could be a fun bonding experience between is partner and the digidestined. Smiling, Henry took a better grip on Rapidmon and watched the trees fly by and Raidramon sprinting along the ground. After all, he should be able to "momentai" from time to time.

* * *

"Thank you, come again," called Ren Yukimura towards his departing customer.

Owner of an antiques store was not exactly the future he envisioned as a boy growing up, but the reddish-blond couldn't complain. For all that he inherited the property from his uncle, he actually ran it effectively. The twenty-three year old possessed great business sense and turned a struggling corner shop of junk into a thriving trade. Luckily, traditional pieces of furniture and ornaments were gaining popularity again in interior decorating. By partnering with some professional interior decorating agencies for an exclusive deal and participating in selective advertising, he could turn a nice profit for the collection of junk while still maintaining his stock at a reasonable level.

Forced to adopt glasses in his teen years, Mr. Yukimura gave every impression of being an easy target for any assertive individual as he peered over his financial records. His pale blue eyes and gangly build seemed unintimidating at first glance, but this man would face down anyone without blinking. No one, neither bully, larger companies hoping to buy out his business, nor trouble-making teenagers, retained the misconception for long that the man in a navy polo shirt could be pushed into something after he grew angry. He'd faced worse things than humans in his life.

Not to say he was a mean or aggressive person. Quite the contrary. He generally acted easy-going and courteous. There was simply a point that one did not cross with him. At that point, he switched from his nice guy personality to a slightly-terrifying force. The only ones that could order him to do anything were those who gained his respect. And the last person to do that was a sandy-brown haired thirteen years old boy wearing a pair of goggles with a green strap…

Glancing up from his bookkeeping, Mr. Yukimura noticed a girl in jeans and a lavender t-shirt staring back from among the vases and the knick-knacks. Strangely, he did not remember her entering. Possibly, he'd been too absorbed in his work to hear the front door.

"May I help you?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, you can help. And not just me, Ren Yukimura. Just as you did in the days of your past, I come to ask you to take on a great responsibility. A danger threatens, as it did when evil crossed the Wall of Fire long ago. I come to call to arms those who fought before when such things threaten. I come to rejoin the humans who first aligned with digimon years ago."

Rather than denying any knowledge of what she'd described, as he first felt inclined to, the man stared at her for several minutes before asking, "How do you know all this? I… never told anyone about my encounter with digimon as a child. I was… afraid they'd think I was crazy at the time."

"And yet, you still hide this even today when their existence is known to the world," reminded the child. "They will not claim you are mentally ill now if you claim that you once knew digital creatures."

He ran a hand through his reddish-blond hair, "But they aren't necessarily well-liked. And it happened so long ago. I've not seen or heard from any of the others since then, let along my own partner. I guess… I just figured that part of my life was over and that I should move on."

"Partners are partners forever," she sighed softly. "And neither time nor distance may keep them apart. Even death is not enough for some pairs." Her deep blue eyes held sadness in their depths before she shook her head. "Surely you don't think Psychemon would simply pretend that you never met?"

The antiques dealer reached into his khaki pants to pull out his old grey digivice with the magenta buttons. "I really do miss her. She kept a smile on my face with her presence, even with all the danger we faced. I guess I didn't think she'd forget me. And I… never really forget her. You never really leave your past behind. Once a DigiDestined, always a DigiDestined."

"The responsibility remains, even if you're not with your partner. But I'm here to reunite old friends," remarked the dark-haired girl.

"It'll be nice to see Riku again and I wonder how little Jay is growing up," smiled the man, turning his sign to "closed." Locking the door, Ren smiled, "He used to be so adorable. Even if his little blue partner was a pest. I would kind of enjoy a reunion with everyone, especially Psychemon. Doesn't matter to me if our reunion is during a crisis to save the world. Again."

Though his posted hours clearly listed that the store should be open currently, his next few customers found the interior dark, the doors locked, and the premises empty.

* * *

After they got off the phone, the young pair of children ceased their loud shrieks almost instantly and simply seemed to ignore everyone and everything. They wouldn't even look at each other. Though Mizutani didn't have any siblings of her own, she could guess they were sulking. Whatever they'd heard over the phone must have been effective on controlling them, but they also revealed nothing about the DADP employees in the household. Overall, it sounded like the call had done no harm and might have even done some good.

Unfortunately, it was about the only thing going right. The mission was supposed to be a quick one: in and out with as little interaction with other people as possible. Instead, they were standing around in the apartment with Mrs. Kamiya and the unknown twins for a prolonged period of time. And now one of her brainless idiots, the one who accepted the mother's offered cookie, was clutching his stomach and moaning softly. Apparently the woman's cooking didn't agree with him.

Deciding to try and improve their relationship with the children, Mizutani stepped over to where the pair huddled. Mrs. Kamiya paused in her movement, holding her baking pan half-way in the act of placing it in the oven, and glared at the blond woman. The parent was clearly uneasy with the proximity to the twins, but unable to think of a way to prevent the DADP employee from speaking to them. But the look promised that if Mizutani tried to harm them, the baking pan would be slammed across her head.

"Hey guys," the blond-haired woman greeted the pair. "I think we started off on the wrong foot."

The girl met her gaze and muttered, "Go away or we'll glue you to the floor."

"That wouldn't be very nice," she gently scolded.

"_You_ aren't very nice," the child's brother pointed out. "And you want to hurt our friend. But we won't let you."

"So leave us alone, big meanie," added the other twin.

Sighing, the adult tried again to reason with the young siblings, "I know you don't understand now, but this is for your own good. Sometimes, you have to do things you don't like to do in order to help others. I don't like scaring you like this, but I know what's best for..."

The girl shook her head, "We know that sometimes you got to do hard and mean things you don't like to do to help people. But you're not helping. You're just making everything bad and wrong because you don't think digimon and humans can be friends."

"And you want to take that away," mumbled her brother sadly. "You want to make everything wrong. And now everything's ruined."

Mizutani felt a little uncomfortable as tears began to roll down their faces. She couldn't handle upset kids, though she could almost recall comforting a frightened young boy with black hair…

Once more, her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt distraction. This time, it was a knock at the front door.

Gesturing at three of her minions, she urged them into place near the hallway to the main entrance. They would still be out of sight of those at the door, but could easily move into capture the new arrivals if they were their target.

Glancing at Mrs. Kamiya, the grey-eyed woman instructed, "Answer it. If it is the children and digimon, let them inside. If not, get rid of them. Either way, don't breathe a word about our presence."

Nodding slowly, the brown-haired parent left her kitchen and went to the door. As she reached for the handle, Mizutani gripped her DD-gun tightly. She was ready for whatever horror lurked beyond that door.

* * *

Two shapes raced through the forest at high speed. One was green, robotic, and flew above the ground while a human boy crouched on his shoulder. The other was black and blue and ran after the first creature, bearing two humans and a small, green insect on his back. It was a disgusting insult, lowering themselves to the level of pets and mere steeds to their human masters.

Dianamon glanced at her current teammate beside her, perched on a thick tree branch along their targets' path. While they weren't as fast and agile as Valkyrimon, they should be able to handle these traitorous digimon. They had orders to deal with the humans and their partners in the digital world. Besides, she warned them to sever their ties with their bound digimon and to return to their world. If they would not listen to her words, they would pay.

"Are you prepared, Minervamon" the data type mega asked. "They might be traitor, but they are skilled fighters."

Shorter than Dianamon, the maiden-like mega seemed fragile in comparison to the white-and-blue-armored female. Minervamon wore a large snake-skin on her head that concealed her upper face and a tan skirt around her waist. Bluish braids stuck out from under her snake-head mask and she wielded a round shield and a great sword as large as her own body with intertwined snakes etched along the length. Along the sides of her head were feathery adornments that would have been appropriate on Valkyrimon and she seemed to possess an incredibly cheerful grin.

"It'll be alright," she giggled sweetly. "We can take care of them easy. After all, good always conquers evil."

Dianamon sighed at her companion's childlike innocence. While half of her own personality often aligned with the cheerful virus type, the lunar mega was currently in her cynical and more ill-tempered personality and found it annoying. On the other hand, she wouldn't want to suffer one of Minervamon's "tantrums."

"Very well," she replied. "You may have the first pick of which of these treacherous beings you wish to dispose of."

Smiling cheerfully, she leapt off of her perch and cried out, "Strike Roll!"

**Just when one battle is over, another begins. I hope you enjoy Dianamon's new companion. She's described as being cheerfully innocent, but can become emotionally violently unstable. Sort of like "temper tantrums…"**

**And now I have introduced the Matt-looking character to the story. Ren is also the last of the group to have a previously created digimon. The other partners will be my invention. Wish me luck on that.**

**Reviews are always appreciated and hope to hear your opinions. Now, I will head back to do my school work. To many projects…**


	33. Tamers, Monster Makers, and Teachers

**I'm swamped in extremely boring schoolwork. It's evil how much boring stuff they can pile on us. Still, I got some written for this story too.**

**I bet you're all waiting to see what happens at the Kamiya residence, aren't you? I bet you're dying to see what awesomeness will be coming up, right? Guess what. You're going to have to wait. We're checking in on the tamer universe. (Evil laughter from the writer) Sorry, couldn't resist letting you dangle a little longer on the coming events at the Tai's home. But there is some action to start this chapter off and we get to check in on one of our poor tamers.**

**Enjoy this and let me know what you think.**

"Why did I agree to ask the _next_ digimon?" cried Kenta as he swam through the digital water.

"Pu-pii pi," his partner answered as he fired bright pink bubbles at the aggressive MarineDevimon.

"Oh yeah, the 'confidence' thing," the boy groaned, dodging one of the creature's huge tentacles. "This is really _encouraging_ me."

"Hold still," hissed the viral ultimate.

"No, thank you. I don't want to die yet," Kenta replied, selecting a card from his deck. "Digi-Modify! Power Activate!"

His tiny pink mega blinked at the larger digimon before announcing, "Kahuna Wave!"

The heart-shaped bubble, enlarged by the card's effect, struck MarineDevimon dead on. The giant aquatic monster roared in pain and outrage at the impact. Glaring evilly at the fairy-like digimon and the glasses-wearing human, the ultimate relented and sank out of sight into the murky depths.

"Pi pii pu-puh pi?" asked MarineAngemon, staring at where the virus had vanished.

Panting, Kenta answered, "I think he's gone. I hope so anyway. What were we thinking? That was one of the scariest aquatic digimon we could pick to ask for directions."

A hand shot out of thin air (or thin water in this case) and yanked at the tamer. The firm grip pulled the boy away from his pink partner and caused both the human digimon to cry out in surprise. Kenta felt his body being pulled through some kind of soft membrane and he realized that he was no longer in the water. He was lying on a smooth, curved surface. And he wasn't alone.

Standing beside him, pulling a panicked mega through the same clear wall that she'd pulled Kenta through, was the cloaked figure of Destiny. Somehow, the idea that she would show up in the vast ocean in the digital world to the exact spot where he and MarineAngemon were floating and she was standing inside a clear bubble wasn't nearly as surprising as the boy thought it should be. It made too much twisted sense that their personal time-space-and-reality-traveling, both-extremely-young-and-about-his-age-at-the-same-time, really pretty, really mysterious prophetess would randomly show up.

"Kenta vanish," commented his partner. "Pii pi-pi."

"So she grabbed me and then I disappeared?" he asked, trying to clarify the mega's assertion. "Since when did she get that power?"

The pair was interrupted as the area of ocean they previously occupied was abruptly by the still-aggressive shape of MarineDevimon. The viral digimon's reappearance caused the glasses-wearing tamer to scream in surprise, but the dangerous ultimate did not seem to notice.

"Calm yourself," Destiny instructed. "He cannot see, hear, or sense our presence. This sphere conceals us from those outside. Your hunter will see nothing but the empty ocean."

Kenta nodded after a moment, "Which is why when you yanked me inside it looked like I disappeared to MarineAngemon. And why we didn't see you show up."

"Precisely," she answered. "I've come to lead you back to where the final confrontation will take place and…"

"Wait, back up," interrupted the tamer. "What do you mean 'confrontation'? I thought this was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. You even said something about there being no threat to both worlds this time."

"I said at that moment," she reminded. "Conditions have changed and a dangerous threat is coming. But I will provide you with the power to combat that threat."

Groaning slightly, the dark-haired boy remarked, "Why me? Trapped in a digital ocean, nearly eaten by a sea monster, and now I find out the worst is yet to come? Can you just drop me off at school and let Kazu play hero for a while?"

"Pu-puh pi-pii pu-pii," MarineAngemon scolded.

"I know, I know," the tamer sighed. "He'd never let me live it down if I chicken out of whatever is coming. After all, I'm the 'fearless leader.' Just write it off as wishful thinking." Sneaking a look at the hooded figure he'd developed a crush on (at least, when she was a prophetess near his own age rather than the four year old version), he asked, "What exactly do you have in store for us, Destiny?"

"A surprising enemy you would not expect," she replied solemnly. "And can only be stopped by the correct human and digimon pair. But any can combat the foe until they are ready. You shall soon face a threat wearing a face you know. A face you've seen before. And you must be prepared to battle that threat."

Kenta glanced at his small partner. They were not the greatest offensive team, but they seemed to have no choice. It sounded like they needed a more aggressive style to handle the coming situation. Otherwise, she'd likely have said anyone could "delay the foe" rather than anyone could "combat the foe." The only way to gain more offensive abilities for the pink mega was either thought the use of multiple cards or trying to Biomerge again. Either way, it depended on his ability as a tamer. Kenta took a deep breath.

"What do I need to do?"

The cloaked figure answered by handing him a white rectangle dangling from a thin gold chain, "Take this. It will serve you well."

Staring at the offered object, the boy asked, "What is it and is it going to have any unexpected side effects like those 'red card' things the Monster Makers invented?"

"No harm will come from these items," she assured. "This is merely a tool to help unlock a power you already possess within yourself."

"… If you say so," sighed the glasses-wearing tamer, accepting the card-shaped rectangle. "But I still want to know what it is before I do anything with it."

"Very well," the prophetess nodded in acknowledgement. "What you hold in your hand is familiar to you in function, if not in this form. You would know it as a 'crest'."

For some reason, Kenta knew he should be nearly hyperventilating with excitement. He, instead, was trying to simply break free from a state of pure shock. It seemed like his mind wanted to shut down. The impossiblity that was his current life was overloading his abilty to react properly.

"I'm sorry, did you say a 'crest'? Like a _crest_ 'crest'? From the show? With Courage, Knowledge, Hope, Light, and all of them? Have you told Kazu this yet?"

Chuckling softly, she responded, "In order of your questions: yes; yes, but yours are different than those of the show; no, you will gain a different trait; and yes, I've informed him and he reacted even more strongly."

"Do I get a hint, then? Of what my crest is?" he asked, studying the blank object with renewed interest.

"Only that you've already began begun to cultivate this trait before I came to you here," answered the prophetess. "Continue to strive for what you believe in, even when everything seems to be against you, and you will be certain to unlock your true power."

"Kazu would complain about your extreme vagueness," he remarked. "But I think you also mentioned getting out of this digital ocean, right?"

* * *

Every member of the Monster Makers, the tired Tally and Riley, and the scattered assortment of parents that didn't seem to be able to leave the only connection they had to find their children smiled as Mei and Takehiro Matsuki came in with a large load of delicious treats from their bakery. The brown-haired technician seemed especially happy to see the food from her favorite location. Demonstrating their quickly spreading fame, their special Guilmon Bread was the first to be snatched up.

"Thanks," Mr. Wong nodded as he accepted one of the few remaining examples of the digimon-shaped snacks.

"No trouble at all," the goggle-head's mother replied. "Any news on the children yet?"

Looking slightly embarrassed, he answered, "We briefly detected Kazu's signal on the main level, but we aren't certain how reliable that result was. It was highly sporadic in its movements and at an extremely high speed. We're blaming the equipment for those results. Beyond that, we're still looking."

The parent felt unsurprised by those results. Whenever digimon were involved, things were never easy to handle. The only source of comfort was the knowledge that the children had experience in this matter and could deal with whatever stood in their way. It was still only a small comfort, however. The basic instinct to protect their young was still present in the adults as they spoke.

Glancing up, she spotted Kokoro Olkowski and her exhausted-looking husband re-entered the room. Both grasped their cups of coffee like the source of caffeine in their hands was the only reason they were upright still. The bakery owner handed them a pair of bagels, producing relieved grins as the married couple collapsed into empty chairs.

"Mrs. Matsuki, I just remembered," exclaimed Riley, interrupting her thoughts. "You were asking about the victims of the accident yesterday. The ones killed in the explosion prior to the tamers' disappearances. I finally have a list of names."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the sheet of paper from the technician. "If we recognize any of the names, we need to send our consolidations. Its only right."

As she scanned the list, her eyes narrowed on a particular pair of names. The surname of two of the deceased seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn't recall where. Mei was fairly certain that "Minoru and Jade Wakahisa" weren't among her regular customers. Maybe she'd heard their name from someone else.

"Did you know a 'Minoru or Jade Wakahisa'?" she asked Janyu, hoping someone would be able to spark a memory of them.

It wasn't the Monster Maker who answered, however. Another parent reacted to the names, glancing up from her cup of coffee towards the speaker.

"Yeah, we know them," Kokoro answered. "They moved into the neighborhood not too long ago. Minoru moved here with his family for business reasons. His wife, Jade, is from America. They met in college and fell in love. They have a daughter around Ai and Mako's age…" The woman paused as her tired mind caught up with the conversation and Mei's word choice. "Did you say 'did you know' instead 'do you know'? Are you saying…?"

"I'm afraid so," she sighed, handing over the list of victims. "They were caught in the explosion."

The twins' parents looked horrified at the revelation. Someone they'd known, whose child played with theirs, had been dead since yesterday and none of them had even known. They felt guilty at their ignorance of the event.

"Poor people," murmured Kokoro. "Poor Destiny. Their daughter must be heartbroken."

The third name caused further reactions of recognition from the parents gathered. Mei finally recalled her son mentioning the girl a couple times in the last month. Janyu stiffened as his mind remembered where he'd heard the name before.

"Destiny Wakahisa was one of the children Suzie invited to her party. She never showed up," he slowly stated.

"Well, her name isn't on the list of identified victims," remarked Riley.

"So the question is," Kokoro whispered, "what happened to her?"

* * *

Ms. Asaji sighed as her students worked on their math problems. She was distracted from her lesson because of four empty seats. Takato, Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri were absent and a call to the principal's office made by the troublesome Shioda's parent revealed the reason early in the day. Of course, she could have guessed it considering who was missing. The three boys, especially a certain one who wore a blue hoodie, were not surprising to be missing. They courted tardiness on a regular basis. Jeri, though, was usual on time and in her seat long before the bell rang. Four students, all tamers, could only mean one thing.

They were gone to the digital world again.

And if the phone call and the identities of those missing wasn't enough, Ayaka and Miki added to their own reports to this earlier evidence. They had attended a birthday party with these children and saw at least Kazu and Kenta vanish right before their eyes into thin air after some rather strange circumstances. They were definitely gone to another world.

She remembered when she received their supposed punishment papers only to find they were good-bye letters as they vanished into a world that she'd assumed belonged only on television and video games. It was unnerving to discover their plan and to realize they might never return. Now, they were gone again. She couldn't help but feel concerned for her students. Even if the boys call her unfair at times, she still wanted to protect them.

Checking with another teacher earlier in the day, she learned that Henry Wong, another tamer, was absent as well. She held the sneaking suspicion that if she was to do more investigation, she would find that most, if not all, of the other tamers in Shinjuku were currently missing in action.

It didn't seem right for children to be placed in danger again and again, but there wasn't much she could do to stop them. She could try to keep them in class and safe, but if a digimon arrived on Earth… she would be trapped between protecting them by preventing them from leaving or letting them go to help protect even more people. And she would be forced to make that choice someday. When they came back to school, that is.

"Two more minutes," she announced, causing the students to frantically hurry.

* * *

Apparently feeling vaguely abandoned by Destiny, Kazu glanced at his partner, "So what now?"

"We prepare ourselves to battle our coming foe honorably and heroically," the robotic champion stated.

"But we don't know where or when we'll run into them," he pointed out. "And there's no one in sight except you, me, and psycho bike."

The demonic vehicle refrained from commenting at the at the boy's accusation of being psychotic. After all, why should it deny the truth? Instead of revving its engine and causing the human to have another panic attack, it simply sat there waiting. Eventually it would have its chance. It would either find its way back to its master, Beelzemon, or the boy would become over-confident again. Regardless of which one occurred, Behemoth would have some fun.

The tamer was correct about the lack of company, however. Nothing else was in sight, save the three of them and the pink data streams moving quickly across the landscape. The wasteland was completely boring.

"Did she not imply that the miscreant would find us?" Guardromon asked.

The boy shook his head, "No, she just said some mumbo-jumbo gibberish about unexpected foes and my nature and choices and other stuff. I was too excited about the fact that _I have a crest!_"

The sentient bike would have rolled its eyes if it possessed a pair. The human seemed oblivious. Behemoth heard every word the cloaked figure spoke and the being she'd addressed could barely recall key words.

At least the digimon tried to listen, "I believe she said that 'an enemy is rising and you shall find yourself facing someone unexpected.' Should we be concerned about the nature of our foe if we are to be challenged by something we cannot expect?"

"Relax, it's a prophecy,' he instructed. "Since we _can't_ expect it, we shouldn't try to. And we'll likely run into it no matter our direction. That's why she didn't tell us where to go before vanishing."

Behemoth began to feel distracted from the conversation between the partners. What had its attention now, specifically, was the data stream headed directly for them. The human and digimon didn't seem to notice the pink light's approach. The bike began revving its engine, trying to get the pair's attention.

At the motorcycle's interruption, Kazu jumped in fright before glaring at the demonic vehicle, "No, I am not riding again. In fact, I am never, ever leaving the safe ground unless it's on Guardromon. I'll just spend the rest of my days as a pedestrian."

Behemoth revved its engine again, angrily. The data stream was still headed for them and neither of them seemed to be willing to look behind them. Even if they really were friends of Beelzemon, it wanted to run over their heads in frustration of their stupidity.

"You're not changing my mind," the boy continued, still completely misunderstanding the motorcycle's intentions. "Do you actually think I'm stupid?"

Its engine growling in aggravation, the bike wanted to scream that yes, you are stupid and it would be nice if you would pay attention to the bright pink light behind you. Unfortunately, the best Behemoth could do was try one last time to get its point across by gunning the engine.

"I don't know what you're so worked up ab-aah!" he shrieked as he finally caught sight of the data stream.

Unfortunately, he only spotted the pink light seconds before it swept over the three of them. Both Guardromon and Kazu reacted with shock and concern as they vanished from the landscape. The demonic bike was simply resigned to the fact it would not be escaping their company just yet as the data stream engulfed it.

**It is way too fun to write from the view of a motorcycle. Especially one stuck with Kazu for company. I couldn't resist it. I also gave Destiny a last name and some more info on her family prior to her "prophetess days." And yes, I had some of Takato's classmates at the party. I even vaguely mentioned Ayaka back at the time. Hope you liked it.**

**Don't worry about things. Next chapter will finally reveal who is on the other side of the Kamiya's door. I hope to hear your views of the story. Feedback is highly appreciated. Thanks.**


	34. Crashing In

**Okay, now the question of who was behind the door will be answered. Sorry that I left you dangling so long. But I hope that you enjoy this chapter anyway. Now, who do you think is on the other side of the door? Beelzemon? Tai and Agumon? Well, just look and see.**

As she opened the door, Mrs. Kamiya wasn't sure who to expect. Tai and Kari had their own keys and wouldn't have knocked. They would have simply let themselves in. Agumon might knock if he wasn't with her son, though Gatomon would have selected to come through the sliding door that led to the balcony. But the likelihood of the digimon coming here without their partners was extremely low. It could be one of the Digidestined, though she remembered that many of them were out of town. More likely was that one of the new children who'd spent the night here. One of them could very easily have come here. And if they entered the apartment, they and their partners would be in danger. She wanted to ignore the arrivals, but two small children needed her to obey the blond-haired woman's instructions. So she pulled the front door open.

Her eyes met a pair of yellow goggles. A boy with brown hair who looked vaguely like he could be related to her children stood there. His eyes even matched Kari's. But the mother recognized the boy as being not some distant relative, but one of the children from the night before. Specifically, he was the partner to the sweet Guilmon. The red reptile was not in sight and yet she still knew it was him.

Before she could speak, he began cheerfully speaking, "Hello, I'm selling magazine subscriptions for my school fundraiser. I was wondering if you would be interested. It's for a worthy cause."

Blinking in surprise, Mrs. Kamiya vaguely wondered what the boy was talking about. She could sense Mizutani and her allies out of sight, likely wondering something similar.

He continued, not bothered by her lack of response, "We have magazines on computers, nature, cooking… Pretty much most stuff. If you're not really interested though, is there anyone else in the household I should know about? To ask about magazines, I mean."

It suddenly clicked in her mind. This boy (Takato, she finally remembered) was suspicious that something wasn't right. He was checking to see if there was anything wrong without directly asking her. She didn't know how he knew, but she was thankful that the children weren't just walking into a trap blindly. Now, she needed to find a way to warn them of the danger without alerting the invaders in suits listening.

"Oh, a few visitors arrived unexpectantly to visit," she replied in a cheerful voice while her expression, which only Takato could see, changed to worry and concern.

Nodding slowly, he asked, "Do you think they could come to the door so I can ask them? I'm sure they would be very interested. And it's for a worthy cause."

"I'm not certain…" the parent began before an exasperated blond woman pushed her aside.

"No one here is interested in purchasing a magazine subscription," she explained rather sharply. "Regardless of what cause it is for. In concern for your safety, I suggest you leav… Wait, you said this fundraiser is for school?"

"Yes?" Takato replied uneasily.

Mizutani reminded, "It's summer. School is out right now."

"It's for… summer school?" suggested the boy, looking less than confident. "After all, even summer schools… needs stuff, right? Like textbooks or… really big fans because it's hot or…"

"I don't believe you," she interrupted.

"Oh… Well, I don't believe you're just a guest either," answered Takato. "Which is kind of a bad thing."

"And why's that?"

"Because I haven't given the 'all clear' yet," he smiled smugly before taking off running towards the stairs. "Let's go, Guilmon. It's a trap."

Mizutani's grey eyes widened at the name of a digimon and tried to chase after the fleeing boy. She was brought up short as a crashing sound of breaking glass erupted back in the apartment. Both the blond woman and Mrs. Kamiya jerked in surprise at the loud interruption, uncertain of what could be happening now.

* * *

When Mrs. Kamiya answered the door, Ai and Mako were surprised to hear Takato's voice. He didn't sound like he was coming inside or even acknowledging that he knew the woman. His voice sounded strange and fake, what Impmon and Rika both referred to his "really bad and unbelievable excuse" voice. But his presence at the door kept the five strangers' attention. The adults stood at the edge of the short hallway of the entryway, barely out of view of the pair at the door and they held their DD-guns like a bunch of cowboys in a showdown. The twins edged closer together.

"They'll get Guilmon," Mako whispered in her ear. "They'll take him away from Takato."

Closing her eyes, she replied softly, "We can't help them. Maybe they'll get away. They're really fast."

When the young girl opened her eyes again, she saw the scary blond lady move out of sight towards the door. She began speaking to Takato, his voice losing confidence with every phrase. The twin tamers sat there, hoping everything would work out in the end and yet not certain it could. But they were determined to keep that hope because that was all they had left. The young pair couldn't think of any more plans or strategies since their idea to warn Impmon and they couldn't envision any way to help the older boy and Guilmon now. The four year old children were at the limit of their abilities at being cunning.

No one in the room was prepared for the sliding door that led to the balcony to shatter as a fist slammed into it. The four men still inside the room and the young siblings spun at the crashing sound and turned their attention to the disturbance. Perched on the balcony, his fist still extended, was the familiar figure of Leomon. Beside him, glaring into the room, was an even more familiar winged-being.

It seemed, even after their heart-breaking attempt to drive their partner away to protect him, Beelzemon had come back to them. It was an impossibly wonderful sight, even with the concern for him his presence brought.

* * *

The destruction of the sliding door yanked their attention away from the boy selling magazines being interrogated by Mizutani towards the most terrifying sight these DADP agents had ever personally witnessed. Most of the digimon they'd been exposed to were the smaller partners of children dragged to PAD meetings by their parents. These two creatures were not cute, cuddly, or small in any sense.

The one who smashed the sliding door was a tall, muscular, humanoid lion with piercing blue eyes and a sword by his side. A thick mane around his head made certain that anyone who saw him knew of his similarity to the dangerous predator of the real world and the blade in his sheath demonstrated he was far more dangerous than a simple lion. He pulled his fist back from his earlier punch, his hand large enough to crush their skulls if he chose. But even with the muted anger in his expression was not nearly as intimidating as his companion.

The dark creature that glared at them from beside the leonine being looked like a vengeful angel of death combined with the most blood-thirsty biker to ever ride a motorcycle. A pair of guns rested in holsters for the moment, though they would likely be in his clawed hands shortly. His three emerald eyes burned with pure hatred as his midnight-black wings folded against his back. Crouching down, he stepped into the room. His boots, with thick spikes on the top, crunched on the broken glass. The DADP agents took an involuntary step back from the foreboding creature's approach.

"You have two seconds to get out," he growled, "before I do something that could ruin my 'nice guy' image."

One of the agents, more bold than the others or more foolhardy, charged the strange digimon with a mighty war cry and swinging his DD-gun towards the dark-winged being. Another, seeming to be more strategy oriented, moved towards the young twins with thoughts of human shields and bait rushing through his head. The two remaining DADP members moved to attempt to line up with the second of the creatures.

The original attacking agent came within the furious digimon's arm length before he truly suffered for his impulsive action. Rather than drawing his weapon, the dark creature backhanded the man. The human flew across the room to crash into the wall and was left groaning softly as a limp crumpled mass on the floor.

"Fine," the creature snarled. "We'll do it that way. Give me your best shot."

* * *

For a moment, Mizutani was torn between chasing the boy and investigating the chaotic noise in the apartment. Then, she tossed the strange child wearing goggles (a familiar image in her mind that she could not place) from her mind and ran back towards the living room with Mrs. Kamiya.

What she found was stunning to behold. Her idiotic lackeys were uncoordinated, unprofessional, and, in one case at least, likely unconscious. This sliding door that led to the balcony was shattered along the ground. Squeezing through the broken opening were two large figures. One was vaguely feline in appearance, but he was obviously not the small Gatomon they were seeking. The other was a winged-humanoid that seemed to summon dark images from the back of her mind. The key details that struck a chord screamed at her, lining up with another image in her head.

**Three eyes. A dark helmet. Pale hair. Sharp, clawed hands. Pale blue skin. Long, thin arms. A burning look of hatred. But there, the present creature and the one that lurked in her mind diverged. Instead of the green-eyed individual with midnight wings and leather jacket, she saw yellow eyes, a black cape with red trim, and the torso attached to a giant purple and yellow polyhedral with extending metal claws. She felt her chest tighten in fear of the enormous monstrosity before her.**

**And yet, she knew that she wouldn't be facing him alone. She would force him behind the Wall of Fire with the help of all her new friends. Especially one special new friend who would always be there. If they all stood together, Apocalymon wouldn't…**

Mizutani snapped out of her momentary lapse of attention, shaking off whatever the dark digimon's appearance sparked off in her mind. The name that she'd heard in that instant sounded like a digimon's, and yet she could feel that the image had been from her long ago hallucination. How did she know a digimon's name so long ago? Or did she only attach the name to that silly nightmare after the event? Either way, she shoved the entire episode out of her mind in order to focus on the present.

One of the DADP agents was already crumpled against the wall. Another was sprinting towards the young children, who were running towards the digimon without caution or fear of the creatures. The man, the one who'd been suffering from his earlier homemade snack, grabbed the small girl's wrist tightly. She gave a hurt yelp as he yanked her towards himself.

"Quiet, brat," he snapped. "I need to aim for…"

Mizutani didn't get to hear what crazy idea the dark-haired jerk was considering because a very ticked off demonic digimon ran (as best he could in the confining interior of the apartment with a couch in the way) across the room, grabbed the adult human by the neck, and slammed him onto the floor. Snarling inches from the terrified DADP agent's face, the green-eyed creature spoke with extreme force and fury.

"Never _touch_ my partners or I'll make you pay."

Drawing her DD-gun, the blond-haired woman took aim at the threat to her minion. She didn't particularly like the man, but she was supposed to protect people from digimon. And here was her chance. Her stormy-grey eyes and his emerald ones met for a moment.

She didn't, however, count on a certain mother to fling her mildly-warm-from-the oven cake batter across her face. The goo spattered everywhere and left her trying to wipe it out of her eyes. Frustrated and covered in some disgusting attempt at baking, she shrieked at the insanity of Mrs. Kamiya.

"That," the mother stated, "is for threatening me, my family, and their friends."

Another crashing sound erupted, but not glass like before. While she couldn't see what was happening, the blond woman was willing to bet someone or something else had arrived to the fight.

* * *

Leomon knew that Beelzemon would not be the most clear-thinker in the rescue mission because of the threat to his young tamers, but he'd relented to a more planned attack. While Takato had gone to the front door to assess the situation with Guilmon just out of sight at the stairway for back-up, the leonine champion and dark mega moved to the balcony the virus already knew could be used as a point of access to the apartment. In addition, they had reinforcement waiting to join them when needed. If the boy hadn't found anything wrong, he would have called off the attack. Unfortunately, Beelzemon's instincts were correct and there was a trap. When the pair of digimon in position broke inside, they found their human opponents watching the tamer's distraction. From there, the four adult males adopted differing reactions to the pair. But one chose to directly charge an angry Beelzemon, only to be slapped aside. The fact the human wasn't dead (as evident by his groaning afterwards) demonstrated that even in his rage, the mega was restraining himself.

While the virus moved towards his young partners, Leomon concentrated on the two humans who were aiming oddly-shaped weapons at him. Even if they weren't digimon, there was no reason to dismiss their potential threat. Sometimes those who seemed he mildest and least capable could become the greatest dangerous. The leonine champion, hindered by the ceiling like his companion, would be slower and less mobile than the men in suits. Drawing his sword slowly, he locked his sapphire eyes on the two frightened men.

"You chose the cowardly way, capturing children to reach your goals," he growled softly. "Are you truly this heartless?"

While both were nervous of the digimon, especially as they caught sight of what Beelzemon was doing to the second human who got too close, one still managed to gain a look of firm determination and state, "We're following orders. If possible, we must disarm and capture the two of you."

Leomon ran the situation quickly through his head. Obviously, the human pair felt their devices could deal with both he and Beelzemon. And while he might be able to get to one of the men before they could act, he would not be able to reach both. His best choice would be to stop the more confident one and to hope the second one would hesitate until he could disarm him as well.

The champion's momentary pause to choose his battle plan was enough for their reinforcement to arrive. The wall nearest where the sliding door once stood crumpled as large metal claws ripped open a larger opening.

Using the distracting destruction of the wall to his advantage, the leonine warrior lunged from his crouching position towards his chosen opponent. Swinging his blade in front of him, Leomon slashed through the dish-like part of the man's weapon. His quick removal of the human's object shattered the earlier confidence the adult had summoned.

Unfortunately, the second man used this moment not to stare at whatever was ripping its way into the apartment, but to fire his own gun-like device on the champion. It didn't produce any noise, light, or even the agonizing sense of being shot. All Leomon noticed was an overwhelming sense of exhausting and weakness throughout his body. His limbs felt heavy and awkward, unlike his usual smooth movements in battle. Whatever the objects were, they were subtle and dangerous.

With the leonine digimon visibly weakened, the adult gained a smug grin, "You digimon aren't so tough. A little human ingenuity will always conquer over stupid programs."

Blinking tiredly, Leomon struggled to move. He needed to still get but with Mrs. Kamiya since the woman wouldn't recognize Beelzemon and the mega would be busy with his partners. But in order to get to the mother, he needed to move. With extreme effort, he took a step.

When the champion began to move again, the man raised his weapon again nervously. It seemed he expected the leonine creature to be completely stopped by the device and his lack of cooperation at the "capture the digimon" plan was worrying. Plus, the entire chaotic events occurring in the apartment were unsettling to witness and could be adding to the man's stress.

"Good kitty," he whimpered softly at the champion. "Stay down, please."

"No," answered Leomon.

Again, there was no sound or other evidence that the weapon was fired beyond a draining exhaustion that washed over him. But the tiredness was too much this time. He sank to his knees as he lost the energy to stand. Briefly, the description Impmon gave of the "bug-zapper building" trying to kill the rookie flashed through his mind. He wondered if there was a connection between the two as he felt himself falling to the floor. Not just falling… shrinking. He was falling to the ground, falling into a smaller form, and falling into unconsciousness.

**I am so evil at times, aren't I? The DD-guns were set at a level to handle rookies and champions (like Agumon and Gatomon). They will have less of an effect on megas like Beelzemon. But Leomon… well, he isn't as lucky about resisting them. **

**And tell me that someone other than me (and Mizutani) has noticed some of the similarities between Apocalymon and Beelzemon in appearance. If you look at the humanoid portion of the ultimate evil in season 1, there are several aspects that are reminiscent of a certain Demon Lord.**

**There will be more on this rescue attempt soon. It just ended up being more involved than expected. There are so many views to explore and so many events to describe that it takes a while to properly handle. **

**So, let me know what you think of this chapter and this story in general. Feedback is always appreciated and often speeds up the updates. Thanks.**


	35. Escaping

**Man, school is just really trying to completely slam me with work right now. I am drowning in projects, papers, and tests. And yet I still find some spare time to work on this piece. I hope you appreciate how hard it was to fix this for you guys between the school junk.**

**I noticed that several of you enjoyed Mrs. Kamiya's moment of awesomeness against Mizutani. I'm glad that it went over so well. It was too fun to imagine. Hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

After the agreed upon time had passed without word from their strike team, Izzy was willing to admit that it was indeed a trap at the apartment. Thus, the group genius prepared his mass e-mail to all the digidestined that lived within the city area. He'd devised a system on his computer to be able to select e-mail addressed by a variety of restriction like geographical locations ranging from individual cities to entire continents, the human's age, length of time as a digidestined, level reached by digimon, or even whether the digimon worked better at close-ranged attacks or distant. He set up another search engine that would pull up the top ten digidestined in an area with regard to battle experience and ability to cooperate together. All this information could be used to organize a quick relay of information to a targeted group without having to hunt through his large collection of names of the worldwide digidestined. In this case, he was sending out a warning to the digidestined in the most likely threatened area.

As he typed out his message, Izzy mumbled along, "Emergency. We have reason to believe that a group called Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing could be a threat to our digimon. Furthermore, we have evidence that digidestined may be at risk at being targeted by these or other individuals for reason unknown. I suggest all digidestined and digimon in the area get out of their houses now and seek out a safer location. Go to the park, a non-digidestined friend's house, or any location that someone cannot easily trace you to. Try to find others and stay together. There is safety in numbers. Whatever you do, get our now and beware of strangers or known PAD members. Izzy."

Glancing up, the Digidestined of Knowledge saw Jeri looking nervously. They were waiting on a bench approximately a block away from Tai's house. It made sense to have the majority of the humans away from the destructive chaos that would be occurring now. Judging by the crashing sound they could hear in the distance, the kids would only be in the way. Takato was the distraction, so he _had_ to be there. But the boy took Guilmon for protection and promised to come back quickly.

Tai, on the other hand, insisted on going there with his partner. He argued that since his mom was trapped along with the twins, he had just as much right to go as Beelzemon did. Izzy wanted to argue against it; he wanted to say it would be crazy for him to walk right into a trap likely created to target him and his sister. But the boy couldn't say that after he saw the look in Tai's eyes. For a brief moment, as he asserted that no one would be allowed to treat them like this, the old Tai shown through. Izzy could see the goggle-wearing kid who kept the Digidestined together and pulled them back when they began to drift apart. And he wouldn't deny Tai a chance to regain his old self. So the boy was charging in as well.

"Don't worry, Jeri," Tentomon advised. "I'm sure everyone will be fine."

Sighing, the girl replied, "I hope so."

"Hey guys," shouted Takato, running down the street with Guilmon right beside him. "Definitely a trap. Blond woman in a suit and a scary glare."

Nodding at the younger boy's report, Izzy hit the send button.

* * *

The unpleasant scrap of humanity that grabbed hold of Ai hard enough to hurt her nearly shoved Beelzemon's anger over the edge. While he was a tall, winged mega in an apartment designed for normal sized humans and the fact there was a couch in the way, he still covered the distance between him and the idiot in a suit in impossibly short span of time. The idiot barely got a few words out before his clawed hand began to wrap around the man's neck.

"Quiet, brat," the loser dared to order the virus' partner. "I need to aim for…"

At this point, the mega gained his grip on the human and slammed him to the floor. The adult didn't seem to understand the line he'd crossed until that point where Beelzemon ended up snarling to his face.

"Never _touch_ my partners or I'll make you pay," the mega digimon promised.

On the one hand, his current behavior could be upsetting to his young partners. Their partner was acting "scary," and not to a terrifying digimon this time. On the other hand, he was too ticked off that not only were his tamers in a dangerous situation, but they were in this situation because he tried to keep them safe. He left them here so that there wouldn't be any way for them to get mixed up in whatever was in the "building of doom." But trouble found the kids anyway. So Beelzemon was going to get them out and make sure they stayed with the group from now on. And these creeps would not stop him.

Glancing up, he spotted a woman with her blond hair twisted up in a bun, wearing a plain dark suit, and carrying one of these objects that looked as dangerous as one of Mako's toys. Of course, one of those simple pieces of plastic could become one of his more powerful weapons. His emerald eyes met her stormy grey ones for an instant as she held her strange device.

The moment was broken as the Hairball's mother splashed some kind of slimy goo all over the blond woman's face. The parent's expression of satisfaction at the blonde's shrieks and struggles to remove the substance was too perfect. The virus logged this action away into his lists of future pranks. He was not above learning new tricks from others.

Shooting a final glance at his captive on the ground, Beelzemon slammed the man's head against the ground. He took care to ensure he didn't apply too much force, just like when he slapped the other guy against the wall. Humans tended to be far more fragile than the giant creatures the mega generally dealt with. And even if these specific individuals were doing their best to get on his bad side, he didn't want to kill them. The idiots who tried to hold the twins hostage could still, in theory, be someone's loving parent, favorite sibling, or best friend that didn't deserve to lose someone. So, as satisfying for his temper it would be to snap the loser's neck, he settled for knocking him out.

"Beelzemon…?" whimpered Ai, her hesitant voice breaking her partner's heart. _Did_ he succeed in terrifying the twins? They were the ones who always trusted him, never doubting for a moment that he was on their side. Did he destroy that trust and instill fear in them? Would they see him as a monster because of his behavior? "You came back? But we were fighting and being bad…"

Sighing with relief that they weren't scared of him, the viral mega quickly reassured, "Of course I came back, munchkins. When I promised to always come back, I _meant_ it. Now, we need to grab Hairball's mom and get out of here."

At this point, the damaged wall the digimon entered through earlier gained further harm as metal claws tore through. In seconds, an armored reptilian mega and a spiky-haired youth were peering through the larger opening. The back-up, Tai and WarGreymon, had arrived.

"Mom, come on," the boy shouted across the wrecked living room. "Time to go."

"Give her a minute, Hairball," chuckled Beelzemon. "She's busy showing one of those jerks who's boss."

The parent looked up from her splattered victim. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, as if mentally considering how to scold her son about what a dangerous stunt it was to be perched on the mega's shoulder as WarGreymon tore through their home, but began moving towards her rescue party.

"Time for us to go, too," grinned the virus, wrapping his arm around his young twins protectively.

Twisting slightly in his partner's grip, Mako began pointing urgently, "The bad guys are after Leomon."

Jerking around, Beelzemon was just in time to see the champion collapsing as another dork in a suit held one of those weird toy-like guns. In fact, the large leonine shape vanished from sight and left a smaller, red figure. The human looked relieved as the transformed being remained still.

Glaring at the man, the mega shifted the twins into his left arm and growled, "Hang on tightly."

There was a hierarchy of people you didn't mess with in Beelzemon's mind if you wanted to avoid facing a vengeful digimon. Obviously, kidnapping or threatening his partners (let alone _harming_ them) was the fastest way to get on his bad side to the most extreme extent possible. A close second would be to do anything to Jeri or Leomon. Both had suffered enough because of him and the viral mega refused to let anything else hurt them. If someone thought of doing something that would break that girl's heart, they would learn she had more than a humanoid lion watching out for her. And if anyone thought of trying to take away her partner…

This time, the digimon shoved the couch away with enough force to crack the dry-wall as it hit. Even with the chaos by WarGreymon's arrival, the dark-winged creature's charge with the twins in his grip caught the two men's attention. One began scrambling towards Beelzemon's first victim, fumbling for the fallen man's weapon. The other, looking vaguely more confident, aimed the dish-like end of his device.

There was no sound or real evidence when the weapon fired. All he felt was a mildly draining sensation. It made him feel a little more tired, but nothing he couldn't handle. Other than the lack of the unpleasant buzzing, it reminded him of his experience with the bug-zapper building on a far weaker scale. The mega shrugged off the annoyance without slowing down.

The man who was firing his weapon lost all evidence of confidence as the virus grabbed his shirt and yanked him off the ground. The human stared into the digimon's emerald eyes with an expression of horror.

"Bye," Beelzemon growled before tossing him towards the only other man still trying to move.

Checking to make certain the Hairball's parent reached the armored reptile, the winged virus gently scooped up the small, reddish creature that once was Leomon with his free arm. Without turning back to look at the chaotic destruction left behind, Beelzemon exited the apartment through the hole in the wall. He had his partners, the creeps who tried to hold them hostage were taken care of, and he even picked up some new tricks to try (thanks to Mrs. Kamiya and that goo). And even if Jeri's partner had shrunk, the entire rescue team was unharmed and uncaptured by the trap. In his mind, that was all that really mattered.

* * *

"I'm sorry that I get you out of the shower, sir, but I won't take more than a moment of your time," he announced into his headset. "I would like to talk about this wonderful, limited time opportunity…"

The slam of the other person hanging up interrupted Mr. Maki's prepared sales pitch. He sighed. Telemarketers never get any respect. Of course, he never wanted to call people at the worst time in order to sell them a piece of junk. He thought he'd get an exciting career, a wonderful girlfriend, and a nice house, in that order. Instead, the short, bright red-haired man in his early twenties lived with parents while working odd jobs that required no skills. And not a girl to be seen. His current source of income only proved he was at an all-time low. He hated what he tried to sell to people.

"Hello ma'am, I would like to talk about this wonderful, limited time opportunity. If you buy this special edition china set, half the cost will be donated to the Parents Against Digimon, or PAD, to help end the threat to our youth," he recited to the next customer, smiling as the frustrated woman cut the connection. Happily, the hatred of annoying telemarketers outweighed the people's desire to help remove the digimon from society. True, he'd likely be losing his job soon because he couldn't fill his quota. But he didn't mind. There was always the next job. "Nice talking to you too," the red-head muttered.

"Hey, Maki," shouted the numbing voice of his boss. "I know you don't take this job seriously." He indicated the jeans, the "Red-heads Rule!" t-shirt, and the backwards cap nestled on his frizzy hair that made up his current outfit. "But even you should know not to have family show up at work. Go tell your sister to go home."

"But I don't…" he tried to argue, but the annoying, pimply, middle-management man was already ignoring the telemarketer's excuse of not having a sister. Lacking any other option, he removed his headset and slid his blue cap to the forward position. "Stupid job," he muttered.

He wandered over to the office (the source of all on-the-job annoyance) to find a girl with dark-brown hair and deep blue eyes. The child's appearance sharply contrasted with Maki's frizzy red hair and sea-green eyes. How anyone could think they were related was a mystery. She sat on the desk, flicking through the papers that shared the surface with her.

She glanced towards him, "Greetings Hiroshi Maki. Or perhaps, I should say Hiro Maki as you were once called in your childhood days."

"Who are you? Mr. Shiozawa said my 'sister' was here and I don't have one," he frowned.

"I did not claim to be related, but that guy seemed to be an expert at inserting words into people's mouths," she grinned. "But I came to talk about something important."

"If it isn't about some hot blonde wanting my number, I'm not interested," he remarked.

"Not even," she suggested carefully, "if I concerns Entomon?"

He paused. Memories of the hard, shiny bluish-black shell and iridescent reddish eyes that marked his partner flashed through his mind. The name belonged to a insectoid creature that he once knew, so very long ago. Those memories were part of the reason he felt guilty in his current jobs.

"You know him? You know my partner? I haven't seen him in years. And at this rate, I never thought I'd ever see or hear about him again," commented Hiro slowly. "All that stuff, all those adventures in the digital world, doesn't even seem real anymore. It just seems impossible."

"No, the idea that one of the first digidestined could assisting the promotion of anti-digimon sentiment seems impossible," she answered coldly. "But the impossible often occurs when you deal with digimon and their partners." The red-head felt his pale face grow red with embarrassment at the knowledge of what he did daily by trying to sell the stupid plates. She continued in a more friendly tone, "A danger rises up once more and I come to call you to arms. Rejoin the fight rather than stand on the sidelines selling knick-knacks. Come with me now, regain your partner and teammates, and rediscover your destiny."

Glancing out at the dozen or so other telemarketers still trying to pester the people of Odaiba into purchasing junk, he wondered how he could have stood working there for as long as he did. He hated the job, his fellow employees, and his boss. And now, if he took the girl's offer, he had nothing to lose from these people. Grinning, he opened the door.

"All of you are a bunch of pathetic losers and everyone hates your stupid job," he shouted out at them, earning several looks of pure shock. "Honestly, name one person who actually_ likes_ getting called by one of you." He met Mr. Shiozawa's astonished gaze, "And just in case you haven't guessed yet, I quit."

The dark-haired girl smirked, "I take it you're coming then. This way, Hiro."

By the time the furious Shiozawa made it to his office, neither of the pair remained.

* * *

No one was ready for the arrival of the rolling figure that struck Raidramon at full force. Especially not the Armor digimon who couldn't even start to protect himself before impact. All he could do was turn his body slightly so that the humans and rookie on his back wouldn't be hit by the attack. His efforts resulted in Davis, Ken, and Wormmon remaining unharmed and a small blue rookie tumbling across the ground.

"Veemon," the brown-haired boy yelped.

The attacker, a young girl-looking digimon wearing a snakeskin and carrying a large sword, smiled cheerfully, "Don't worry yet. We've just got started fighting. There's plenty of time for your friend to really get in trouble."

Rapidmon, pausing only long enough for Henry to jump off, tried to ram the female creature away from the group. Unfortunately, the metallic rabbit was intercepted by another mega. Dianamon forced the vaccine ultimate to move out of the way of her dual-bladed weapon. After her initial strike, her blue eyes glanced over at the other mega.

"Minervamon, do you actually listen to yourself at times?" she asked.

"Nope," replied the happy-sounding digimon. "I just say whatever I want."

This momentary exchange gave the humans and their partners a moment to regroup. Davis snatched up his unconscious rookie. Henry ran his eyes across the deck of cards in his hand. Ken pulled out his dark-colored D-3.

"Wormmon digivolve to… Stingmon!"

**Another chapter finished and posted. And the twins are finally out of the apartment and back with their partner.**

**Hiro and Entomon are my creations and are the Izzy and Tentomon look-alikes. Entomon comes from the word "entomology," which is the study of insects. I figured that would be a better name than "Bugmon" or "Insectmon."**

**Reviews are always welcome. Feel free to tell me what you think of the story so far.**


	36. Biomerging and Climbing Back On

**(Screams in frustration) This world is out to get me! Finals and starting up my summer job have seriously delayed everything. I am so sorry about that. I wrote this up as quickly as I could. Please forgive me for taking so long.**

**This takes place back in the tamer universe. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for being so patient with me.**

The familiar clicking of a lighter filled the silence as the man brooded on the situation. Yamaki didn't like the idea of simply waiting around, unable to do anything to help. This time, there wasn't even any way to know what was going on. Lacking both actions to take or information to study, the adult tamer was left on the lake shore with only his thoughts to occupy him. He'd accepted that in many cases dealing with digimon, there were others better equipped to handle it. But he generally at least knew _something_ about the situation. If the Monster Makers couldn't tell him what he needed, then he could have Tally or Riley check the various sensors or databases Hypnos had access to.

Riley. The blond man smiled slightly at the thought of the technician. While they kept completely professional at Hypnos, she was far more than just another employee. She was someone special to him, though he would never admit it in public. As far as anyone would know, Riley was simply his subordinate. The only one who had the opportunity to see anything beyond that business-like relationship (though whether he would be able to properly interpret the couple's behavior as more than "friendship" was highly questionable) would be Calumon. The little white digimon didn't spend most of his time at Yamaki's home, but he was there often enough to certainly notice the woman's continued presence there. Of course, the man held his suspicions that Tally knew exactly what his relationship with Riley was and was secretly collecting bets on it.

The one question Yamaki feared being asked, one that men often feared, would be for Riley to ask him where their relationship was going and if they had a future. Honestly, if she did ask him that, he wasn't sure what he would say. He didn't know whether or not she'd even _want_ something more than what they had. If one of them wanted to ever take the next step and the other wasn't, everything could be ruined. Rather than risk losing Riley by "moving too fast," the man kept their relationship at a controlled constant. As long as he could control something in the entire, chaotic world, he would. If there was any possibility that remaining the same in the relationship would keep it stable, then he would be as unchanging as stone in that respect for the sake of keeping her.

Considering that she stood beside him as he went from one of the least tolerant man in regards to digimon to a tamer of one, he likely had little to fear in regards of her leaving him. No matter what occurred to Hypnos or to him, Riley remained with him. Maybe he was worrying too much and should take the Wong boy's partner's advice.

"Momentai," Yamaki muttered to himself, flicking his lighter shut.

He glanced further down the shoreline where Suzie and Calumon worked on a sandcastle while Lopmon supervised. The girl and white digimon seemed so carefree and innocent. They might be in the digital world, missing several of the tamers, and have no idea of how to find those they came to rescue, yet those two acted like that wasn't really a problem. The rabbit-like creature at least realized the gravity of the situation, but she still smiled as her tamer described the type of princess who would live in her castle.

"Dry land!" a relieved voice declared.

Yamaki turned to discover that a colorful portal now stood ten feet from where he was. In addition, the cloaked figure of Destiny, the Kitagawa boy, and his pink mega partner were present. Other than a white rectangle hung around his neck and a shell-shocked expression, Kenta seemed to be unchanged from before they separated.

"Pii pu-pi," remarked MarineAngemon, calling the glasses-wearing tamer's attention to the adult's presence.

Blinking in surprise, Kenta remained silent for a moment before asking, "Did you know we're apparently going to be fighting someone near here? Because that's what Destiny just told me."

* * *

Cyberdramon, still in a near frenzy with the desire to fight, seemed too eager to learn that DemiDevimon already had a new opponent in mind. Ryo, on the other hand, was growing more concerned. His partner already faced Vilemon, LadyDevimon, and Myotismon that day. Now, they were after someone called SkullSatamon. The human boy wondered if the ultimate could handle the constant battles, but Cyberdramon was leading the hunt for the next target. The vaccine moved so quickly in his eagerness that he nearly left the tamer and rookie behind as the traveled over the rugged terrain.

"Hey, buddy," DemiDevimon called. "What's your rush? You don't even know _where_ the guy is."

"He's on this level," growled Cyberdramon. "I'll find him."

Ryo could sense other digimon lurking in the shadows, watching the trio pass. Apparently they were low in level and could see the sheer savagery of the ultimate since they remained out of view beyond the occasional set of glowing eyes. Every now and then, the vaccine would glare at the hiding creatures and growl. This would cause the lurking observers to scurry away for a time, but they would return after a time. This carefully watched traveling continued for some time until Cyberdramon stopped in his tracks.

"I spy an interesting new digimon on this level," a dry, rasping voice commented as a set of clicking footsteps began to approach them. "And a human child as well."

Looking vaguely insulted, DemiDevimon shouted, "What about me?"

The voice gave a dry chuckle, "You may be present, but you are not the one the whisperers say destroy both Myotismon and LadyDevimon. The gossiping rookies were too easily impressed by that feat, but it _is_ impressive enough. That loss opens up new hunting grounds for those desiring power. But I'm getting topic now."

The speaker stepped into view, his appearance equally as creepy as Cyberdramon's earlier opponent. Black, tattered wings, metal enshrouded shoes, and a long staff with a crimson hook on one end and a yellow sphere on the other didn't quite distract Ryo away from the fact he was a living skeleton. The bones were crimson red except for his black skull. His steps were slow and deliberate, each footstep clearly audible as the metal-covered foot connected with the stone ground.

"I heard you were searching for SkullSatamon," he remarked in a raspy voice. "Here I am. The question is, though," he shifted his staff slightly in his grip, "can you handle me?"

Snarling, Cyberdramon launched himself at his newest target. The cyborg-dragon tried to slash the skeletal creature, but the virus moved at an insane speed to intercept him with his staff. The two ultimate regarded each other's presence, sizing up their opponent's potential after the quick initial attack. The vaccine growled softly.

"Such an interesting creature," SkullSatamon commented dryly. "Bone Blaster!"

His long staff, aimed at Cyberdramon, produced a sinister-looking dark energy that shot out towards the vaccine. It reached him nearly instantly, producing a pained cry from the victim. The ultimate's partner flinched in and sympathy selected a card quickly from his deck.

"Digi-Modify! Hyper Speed Activate!" called the tamer, sliding the card through his D-arc.

With renewed speed, Cyberdramon shrugged off the paralyzing nature of his opponent's strike and retaliated with a growl, "Cyber Nail!"

Ryo frowned in concern. Either SkullSatamon was far more powerful than the other two ultimates or his partner was far more tired than before. His attack on the virus seemed to lack its earlier strength. The boy knew the vaccine must still be tired from earlier and even with enhanced speed, the fight would end up being close. Unfortunately, even if he used a card to raise his partner's power, it wouldn't necessarily be enough.

Glancing at DemiDevimon, who he was feeling increasingly wary of as the greedy grin spread across the bat's face, the tamer asked, "Do you have any suggestions or ideas to help him?"

"Hm?" blinked the rookie. "Well, there is one thing…"

"What?"

The bat grinned, "Go to the mega level."

"He just reached the ultimate level this morning," reminded Ryo. "With Destiny's help, no less. How is he…?"

The boy paused as another memory flickered through his mind. **The **_**D-reaper**_** was consuming the city. The blob body of the digital monstrosity sprouted smaller beings connected by red wires that attacked the familiar figures of **_**Sakuyamon, MegaGargomon**_**, and **_**Gallantmon**_**. He was in his larger form of **_**Justimon**_**. He knew, somehow, that the three megas weren't what they seemed. They were a melding of two beings, a digimon and a human. And when he realized that fact, he understood how he became Justimon. He **_**Biomerged**_** to form another dual-minded being. **This combining allowed Cyberdramon to become a mega, just like the others of his memories. And now he could remember how.

"Never mind," Ryo finished, gaining a look of confidence across his face. "I've got the idea now. Cyberdramon!" he called. "Need some help?"

The vaccine simply growled and nodded as he dodged another of SkullSatamon's attacks.

Taking a deep breath, the tamer gripped his D-arc and closed his eye. The memories of his forgotten past guided him through the process.

"Cyberdramon Biomerge to… Justimon!"

Ryo could feel the rush of power as the strange and familiar change washed over him and his partner. In one sense, the boy found himself in a tall body with metal-protected limbs, a long red scarf fluttering in the breeze. But on another level, he was floating inside a strange sphere. He could feel his partner's presence with him. But there was a fainter, darker, stronger one that hid in the edges of his awareness without exerting any influence of them. Still, Ryo could tell he was truly Justimon and they could handle SkullSatamon.

"Now that's impressive," commented DemiDevimon. "Alright, then. Show this bony brute who's boss."

The mega nodded and leapt into the air, "Justice Kick!"

* * *

"So we've been to the desertish-wasteland, the black-and-white town, and now we're in a forest," Kazu muttered, staring at the leafy canopy. "Didn't we meet on this level? Back when you were an Andromon? And you were trying to take out that one digimon, Orochimon, that Leomon and Jeri finally took out with a LadyDevimon card?"

His mechanical partner remarked, "I believe so. Though, if I was given a little more time, I am certain I would eventually have defeated that foe myself."

"Especially after you gained me as a partner," the boy nodded, not wanting to admit that the robot had been reduced from ultimate to champion by that point and would have proved difficult to defeat without the rare card his fellow tamer possessed. "But my point is we needed to get to this level anyway, to find Floramon's village, and you've been here before. Which means you could guide us there where we can try to get our friends back."

"Uh… Kazu, even though I dwelled on this particular level in the past, I do not know how to navigate the entire area," Guardromon explained.

"So you still don't know where we are or how to find the village," he sighed, reaching up and adjusting his hat. "I guess we go back to the 'wander around and hope for the best' strategy." The boy sighed and glanced at his other companion, "Unless Behemoth feels like giving us directions."

The demonic motorcycle revved its engine, sounding particular infuriated with the tamer. Kazu wondered if the sentient vehicle growled this angrily with everyone or if it hated him in particular. It was too bad that Behemoth happened to get caught by the data stream with them. But the bright pink light appeared out of nowhere unexpectantly and none of them had time to escape. So they were still stuck with Beelzemon's bike and were lost in the forest level.

"You know, Guardromon," commented the brown-haired tamer slowly, "it would be too easy to leave the psycho motorcycle here. After all, we can't ride it safely and it'll just slow us down if we push it. It only makes sense to do that."

The next sound the bike produced sounded indignant and frustrated, delivering a burden of guilt upon the boy. Obviously, Behemoth didn't particularly like the idea of being abandoned and left to rust alone. It wanted to drive and needed either a random rider or its master in order to enjoy that. It wouldn't be fair to leave him there.

Kazu, mentally arguing with his inner-Rika about the idea he was reluctantly considering, sighed and addressed the vehicle, "Look, if you promise to go slow and stay next to Guardromon, I'll ride you and you can come with us. Deal?"

The motorcycle remained silent for a few moments while the robotic champion tried to remind the boy what happened last time. Finally, the bike produced a reluctant rumble that sounded vaguely like a resigned agreement. Kazu nodded and slowly approached the same machine that previously gave him the most terrifying ride of his young life.

"Guardromon, if it tries to run off with me again," the tamer instructed, "shoot out its tires immediately."

Closing his eyes, he placed his hand nervously on the bike. He was shaking uneasily at the thought of climbing back on the demonic motorcycle. It was an insane idea, but Behemoth was, at least kind of, one of the team. It was Beelzemon's vehicle. Kazu couldn't just leave it behind.

"You are _officially_ the craziest boy in both worlds," his voice of reason shrieked, sounding exactly like the red-headed tamer. "Did you learn nothing from earlier?"

"Isn't there a phrase about climbing back on after falling off?" mumbled the boy.

"Yeah, about horses. Not demonic, rider-possessing, digital motorcycle," snapped his sub-conscious. "Get away now or I swear that I'll have Taomon seal you up in a bubble."

Shoving Rika's voice out of his thoughts, Kazu sat down on the bike. His eyes were shut and his teeth were clenched. If he had the nerve to look, he knew his knuckles would be white as he gripped the handlebars tightly. He was waiting for the explosion of speed as Behemoth took off towards the horizon. Surprisingly, the moment where the bike sped off never came. Instead, the motorcycle remained in place and simply rumbled in a manner that he could only describe as grouchy.

"Thank you," the tamer sighed. "Thank you for not trying to give me a heart attack again. Now, let's find our friends."

Behemoth began to move. Much to the surprise, and relief of Kazu and Guardromon, the vehicle was actually moving at a walking speed. It was a velocity that the robotic digimon could match and was too perfect for traveling.

Even more surprising was when the boy heard a soft response from his voice of reason, "That… was unexpected. Nice job, Kazu."

The tamer grinned and wondered if he would ever completely stun the real Rika to this level. It would be worth his entire collection of cards to see the expression on her face in this situation. Or even better, a photograph of her after watching "the craziest boy in both worlds" pull off the impossible.

"The rescue party is on the way," he muttered. "And once I figure out how to activate my crest, no one will stand in the way of Guardromon, Behemoth, and BlackWarKazumon!"

**Finally got this chapter finished. Again, I'm sorry about the delay. I hope you enjoyed it. Kazu finally got a break and Behemoth is no longer trying to make the boy miserable (though the bike still doesn't particularly** **like him). I will try to keep updating this story, but my summer job will like steal most of my time. Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.**


	37. Kindness and Empathy

**Want to know something ironic? I just checked on Digimon Wiki about a certain digimon's attacks and a newly updated detail matches something I thought made sense. I'll explain better at the end of the chapter, but it was kind of cool. Anyway, here is another chapter for your enjoyment. It has quite a few interesting developments in it.**

The green, humanoid champion flitted towards Minervamon, his red eyes locked on her oversized blade. She wore a cheerful grin and flicked one of her braids over her shoulder as Stingmon quickly approached the mega. The spunky female allowed Ken's partner to draw near before reacting. Minervamon performed a back flip and managed to block the champion while performing her aerobatics.

"This is fun," she giggled. "Try this one. Strike Roll!"

Having seen this attack before and being quite agile himself, Stingmon dodged to the left before taking aim at his fellow virus type.

"Spiking Strike!" called the champion, a pinkish-purple spike forming on his arm as he swung at her.

Though the assault reached her, Minervamon simply snickered and knocked him away. She then leapt up into the limbs of the tree. The green digimon flew after her, weaving through the branches after her. He followed her through the twisting vegetation, her cheerful sing-song voice taunting him.

"I'm bringing home a baby Stingmon," she giggled. "Won't my leader be so proud of me? I'm bringing home a baby Stingmon. Oops, I squashed him!"

At that point, she reversed directions and leapt towards the champion with the intention of smashing him under her boots. The green digimon dove out of the trees and dashed out from under Minervamon. When she landed in the spot he'd occupied seconds before, Stingmon retaliated with his own attack.

"Spiking Strike!"

"That tickles," commented the mega. "I like playing with you. Too bad I have to destroy all of you. You know, because of the human thing. Cause they're stupid."

Stingmon narrowed his eyes at the insult to Ken and the others. The viral mega was only toying with him and he couldn't do anything about it. Minervamon could likely wipe him out without trying, but as long as she paid attention to him, she wouldn't be after the Digidestined, the tamer, or the knocked-out Veemon.

* * *

While his partner weaved through the treetops, Ken scrambled over to where his friend had dragged Veemon. Two battles were occurring simultaneously: one between Stingmon and Minervamon, and the other between Rapidmon and Dianamon. Fortunately, both conflicts were primarily taking place in the air above their heads, which made the ground-bound humans vaguely safer from being caught in the cross-fire. Henry remained firmly planted where the metallic rabbit left him, his eyes glancing between the vaccine ultimate and his deck of cards.

"Come on, Veemon," Davis coaxed his knocked out rookie. "Now would be a great time to wake up."

"Face it," sighed the Digidestined of Kindness as Davis gently shook the limp, blue shape. "Even if he woke up, he wouldn't be in any condition to fight."

"Well, considering we're facing two megas with a champion and an ultimate," he pointed out, "we better hope for a miracle."

"Miraculous victories are a specialty of ours."

The goggle-wearing boy smiled faintly, "True, but we still need an idea."

As Stingmon landed on the ground and dodged Minervamon's attempt to stomp him under foot, Ken turned quickly to watch his partner and felt something swinging around his neck. The boy remembered the tag his crest now rested in and recalled that, in theory, he should be able to activate it to have Stingmon digivolve to ultimate. All he needed to do was truly understand what kindness means and to be able to display it. Then, they might be able to pull off the miraculous victory after all.

He knew what the word "kindness" meant. It was the state, quality, or habit of being kind. "Kind" was an adjective meaning sympathetic, gentle, or benevolent. And yet there had to be far more to it. Ken felt that the dictionary definition was not nearly enough. He needed to know what kindness meant _to him_.

When he thought of it, the dark-haired Digidestined remembered standing on the balcony of his home blowing bubbles. His brother, Sam, used to say that the reason Ken could blow bigger bubbles than him was because he was a kind, gentle child. Sam's would pop because he would blow too hard. Ken could succeed where his older sibling, who excelled in all he tried, failed for the simple reason that he was kind.

And though his benevolent nature was nearly drowned out when he fell into darkness of the Digimon Emperor persona, the same trait returned when his old self reappeared. He joined the other Digidestined to help make up for his past mistakes and also to help protect against the same darkness that tried to consume him. It was just part of his nature to help others, regardless of whether it was his current friends or Ryo when he was just a child upon his first journey to the digital world.

And even earlier that day, he demonstrated he was both gentle and sympathetic. He managed to get Impmon to open up about his painful past, even after Davis' ill-chosen words. The dark-haired boy eased the rookie's guilt that the Digidestined of the Digi-Eggs of Courage and Friendship accidentally brought up while simultaneously reducing his own pain of past actions. Of course, getting the purple virus to open up took a little gentle persuasion.

Gentle. Sympathetic. Benevolent. He smiled softly to himself. Just like Kari seemed to personify the very essence of light and T.K. was always filled with hope, it seemed like he was the definition of kindness. It appeared his partner was right when he suggested that Ken would find it natural to activate his crest. It was who he was. He was the gentle child who watched shimmering bubbles float over the city. He was the sympathetic boy who listened to the regretful admissions of a remorseful killer. He was the benevolent Digidestined who protected both worlds.

"I think your crest is glowing," commented a stunned Davis, pointing at the light now coming from around Ken's neck. "That's generally a good sign."

Nodding, the dark-haired boy turned his attention back to his partner. Stingmon was striking at the cheerful mega while dodging her half-hearted attacks as best he could. He was currently out-matched, but things were about to change. The insectoid digimon and the Digidestined were about to do something that hadn't occurred to anyone beyond Tai's group. They were about to use a crest to reach the ultimate level.

"Minervamon," Ken called, "I know you and the others believe that humans are cruel and malicious creatures. You think we are heartless and dangerous to those around us."

Distracted briefly from her earlier target, she giggled, "And don't forget useless and annoying."

"But even if _some_ examples of humanity might be like that, not all are simply pure evil," explained the boy. "The greater our potential for cruelty, the greater our potential for good. And in this circumstance, being kind and gentle does not mean being weak."

With those final words, the glow from the Crest of Kindness intensified and was matched by light emerging from his dark-colored D-3 and a similar light engulfed Stingmon. Minervamon shielded her face from the glare of the three sources, frowning slightly.

"Stingmon digivolve to… JewelBeemon!"

The newly formed ultimate was still a humanoid insect, but traded his normal green hue for shimmerier, colorful, shining shades. His jewel-like tones reflected light in a multitude of colors, though green remained the most prominent. In his hands, he held a long spear with a razor-sharp, red, star-like tip. His wings were iridescent things that gave off a beautiful rainbow radiance. His prism-like armor gave him a larger build than he possessed as Stingmon, along with a giant spike on each arm that extended beyond his hands. The vaccine smiled slightly as he gave his new body a quick inspection.

"Aw…" grinned Minervamon. "How pretty and colorful! I love it. After all, you're all shiny now. Too bad I still have to destroy you."

JewelBeemon twirled his spear like a baton between his fingers before commenting, "It won't be that easy. Now you see me," remarked the insect digimon before vanishing from sight, "now you don't."

* * *

When Rapidmon engaged in combat with the lunar-style mega, Henry began selecting useful modify cards to help She was a mega, a data type, and had the overall advantage over the ultimate vaccine type. They couldn't become MegaGargomon because of his size, so they would have to depend on strategy to win this. Their biggest advantage was the extreme speed the robotic rabbit was capable of in the right circumstances.

"I'm sorry it has come to this," Dianamon apologized, her sapphire eyes soft and regretful. "You should have taken our deal."

"What? Abandon Henry and renounce humanity as pure evil?" asked the vaccine. "No thanks. I don't think so. Do you want to admit you and your boss could be wrong?"

Her expression twisted into fury, "Insolent fool. You defy our cause and offer mocking requests in return. Prepare to suffer. Arrow of Artemis!"

"_That_ wasn't insolence," defended Rapidmon as he dodged the icy projectiles. "I'm honestly telling you to get over whatever prejudice you have about humans. If you want insolence, talk to Impmon."

"Digi-Modify! Power Activate!" announced Henry, working out his strategy.

"Rapid Fire!"

The enhanced rounds reached their target, but only served to enrage her further. Taking her dual-bladed weapon, she twirled it around her in a frenzied dance of death. While the sharp-edged object spun around her body, she attempted to close the distance between her and her opponent in order to bring her close-ranged weapon into play. Unfortunately, the dark-haired boy knew his partner was better at mid-range to distant combat.

"Don't let her get too close," he warned the vaccine.

"Hold your tongue, vile human," she snapped. "Your kind does not deserve to exist in our world, let alone speak. Already you poison the minds of your slaves to do your bidding and protect your defenseless forms from harm. You are a plague, an infestation, a disease to digimon that spreads and corrupts even as you plan our downfall. It is a pity your brainwashed pets no longer have the will to defy you or else they could have been saved. There will be no mercy on you, just as your kind has none to offer digimon." Unable to draw Rapidmon into a close-quarter's fight, she grabbed a handful of icy projectiles from her back and shot them at the green rabbit in quick succession, "Arrow of Artemis!"

"Tri-Beam!" called Rapidmon, forming a triangle and firing the energy blast at the frozen arrows and their source. When the force of his attack actually knocked the mega back, the ultimate asked, "Okay, now I've heard all this propaganda before with the Devas and Sovereign guy, but what's your excuse? Where's your evidence about the 'undeniable, unforgiving, undiluted evil that is humanity'? You keep listing off insulting descriptions of them without giving any specific examples of their cruelty."

"I know you don't understand how completely blind you are to the true nature of the parasitic creature that has bound you to him," Dianamon sighed, once more sounding sweet and understanding. "It's not your fault," her eyes darkened and her tone shifted down to a dangerous level, "but I can see you're not going to see the light of reason." Then, her sapphire gaze softened again, "Still, there is no reason not to try."

"She's shifting moods so fast, she's going to get whiplash," the vaccine muttered.

"Our master, a protective guardian of those in need, found a barely alive, wretched digimon trapped between the two worlds and could hardly keep a baby-level form together," she explained. "After nursing the broken individual back to health, the lost soul described how he came to be in such a condition and hidden in the computer systems rather than the digital world." Swinging her weapon at Rapidmon swiftly, she snarled, "Humans."

"Watch it," shouted the vaccine as he dodged the sharp-edged object. Once he increased the distance between him and his attacker, he asked, "So you're basing all of this off one digimon's word? Isn't that an extreme over-reaction?"

"From his location between the two worlds, accessing the stream of information that flows through computers and other human technology, he showed us evidence of humanity's inability to be trusted," she continued in her calmer, serene voice. "Only the least cruel and most open-minded children merely bind us to them rather than try to harm us, though the number of them snaring us into mindless servitude is increasing. Large groups of humans greet us with reactions ranging from distrust to outright hatred and scorn. Others have even reacted with violence, which means _they_ are the ones to blame instead of us." Selecting another frozen arrow from her back, she continued in her sweetest tone, "He showed us that the humans you are so eager to defend are creating weapons specifically designed to do one thing: destroy digimon." The increasingly-familiar shift to a more furious mood occurred, causing her to stop her narrative and open fire once more, "Arrow of Artemis!"

"Digi-Modify! DarkTyrannomon's Fire Blast Activate!" announced the tamer.

"Fire Blast!" Rapidmon yelled, using the flame-based and viral attack to his advantage against the icy threat. The mega's attack evaporated and she was forced back. "Oh yeah! Now that's more like it."

Henry allowed himself a moment of pleasure that his card choice worked so well. It would have been better if Stingmon and Rapidmon switched opponents, but it would be dangerous to try now. Distracting the champion virus could cause Minervamon to land a blow on the lower-level digimon that could be deadly. As long as the agile insect could dodge the sword-wielding girl, he would be alright.

"If left alone, it is clear that humans will either enslave or destroy us all," she continued, her calmer voice sound vaguely annoyed by the scorching fire. "He gave our leader all the evidence he needs. So we much separate the two worlds to preserve our way of life."

"I don't like that idea," remarked the vaccine. "Let's try Plan B and work something out with the human world rather than shut it out. Or we keep this until I knock some sense into you. Rapid Fire!"

He wanted to ignore Dianamon's words, to shove them aside. But Henry could see her, and her leader's, reasoning. They thought that, if humans were so great a threat for a variety of reasons, it was far better to protect the digimon by keeping the two worlds divided. They didn't want to destroy all humans; they only wanted to be left alone by mankind. The tamer could see how, if he possessed this evidence and knew little else about Digidestined and other people, he might come to a similar conclusion. Henry_ knew_ that not all humans were evil monsters, but he could also understand why Dianamon might think that.

"Please listen," the boy begged. "Not everyone is like that. Some humans are cruel, but others can be benevolent. Others are just people, neither good nor evil. Humans are just as diverse as digimon. I understand why you don't believe that, but you should try seeing things from our view."

"Silence," she snapped, but she was quickly distracted as Stingmon was engulfed in light.

The tamer would have been watching the digivolution of Ken's partner too if he wasn't experiencing a similarly important event. The white rectangle, his crest, began to glow around his neck. Green lines began to form on the surface of the card-like object, creating two small circles with a pair of sideways S-like shapes that Henry recognized as the mathematical symbol for "approximately" or "similar to." Meanwhile, the boy could feel power radiating off the small object and could hear an odd ringing that was quickly shifting to an echoing voice.

Empathy. The ability to share another's emotion, thoughts, or viewpoints, even if they differ from those you hold. A powerful gift that many lack and even more refuse to use.

Though you do not necessarily agree with their ideas and beliefs, you can see the world through their eyes. You can understand the "why" of others' choices and know how your actions will affect them. No matter how different they may be, you can still find a connection to them.

Guard against losing your own emotions and views by being over-whelming by those held by others. Even when you understand the beliefs of another, remember your own and keep it firmly protected. Sharing the views and feelings of others brings understanding, but does not mean you must change yours to match.

Empathy.

"That was weird," muttered Rapidmon. "But kind of cool too. Please tell me you understood what that means, Henry."

"Your insectoid ally seems to be more powerful now," Dianamon commented, apparently oblivious to whatever the tamer and robotic rabbit had just experienced. "But Minervamon is not one to be careless of."

"Neither are we," Henry replied before sliding the card-like object through his D-arc. "Digi-Modify! Crest of Empathy Activate!"

The ultimate briefly reverted t his rookie form before once again being consumed in intense light. The mega data type shielded her sapphire eyes as her opponent changed.

"Terriermon Crest Biomerge to… MegaGargomon Empathy Mode!"

The change in size was not as great as he expected. Instead of being nearly size of a skyscraper, he was just a little taller than Sakuyamon and Gallantmon in height. But the mega did still retain his bulkier build, though slightly more streamlined than previously. Green armor, rocket launchers on his shoulders, and a canine face were present in this form, but his eyes felt different. They felt even more robotic and mechanical than before, which was odd considering they had been robo-dog before this point. Attached to his arms, instead of the giant machine guns that once encircled his wrists, was a pair of smaller guns on the back of his hands. Across the compartment on his chest that hid more artillery, the green lines standing out against the now grey covering, was the symbol of Henry's crest.

"We've shrunk," complained Terriermon.

Henry answered calmly, "Momentai."

"No using my catch praise," the digimon half of the mega ordered. "Especially against me."

* * *

_It was almost time. The moment to unleash the true nature of the Guardian program was drawing near, but the Digidestined were a potential problem. They could, in theory, prove a threat to his plans. They had a habit of discovery a way to undo perfect plans. They could find a way to stop him again if not kept busy and out of the way._

_He needed to handle the most dangerous ones specifically. At one point, it was the human partners of Agumon and Gabumon that needed to watched. But after his last attempt three months ago, it was clear that Omnimon was no longer the greatest threat._

_The humans known as Davis Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji were a potential hazard, but one that could be delayed. They were in the digital world currently and vulnerable. And he could take advantage of it._

_He turned his attention towards where his soft-hearted "rescuer" was "visiting the poor trapped victim." The idea that he would miss the digital world was foolish since he never set foot there. But as long as he kept the trust and sympathy of the vaccine, he could use him to further his plans._

"_You're allies are doing well for the most part," he remarked, "but I worry two of them considering who they face."_

"_Which ones?" asked the kind-hearted protector._

"_Dianamon and Minervamon," he answered. "As dangerous as all the humans who enslave our kind, those who captured the wills of a particular powerful Veemon and Wormmon are truly devious. They were the ones who led to my nearly-complete destruction you saved me from."_

_Nodding, the vaccine asked, "If you fear for my allies, I will go to them myself. Will you be alright here on your own?"_

"_Yes, I will. I shall put the finishing touches on my plan, GuardiAngemon, and finally have the means to handle our problem," he replied. "When I finish, you will never encounter another human."_

**First off, as stated before, the crest modes belong to my imagination. I thought them up and no one else. **

**Second, JewelBeemon was not originally connected to the Wormmon digivolution line when I first found him, but now he is. I was already planning on making him the ultimate for Ken's partner before then, but one of the games has made it officially an ultimate for him. Hope you like him.**

**Third, I want your final guesses on the villain's identity. I've revealed his unknowing accomplices to the coming chaos, but not the main guy's. You have plenty of hints now (almost too many), but I want your thoughts on who it is. **

**Fourth, and final, if you want to see what the new crest look like, take the link on my profile page to Impkat's deviant art page. She was kind enough to post it, along with a couple of other pictures connected to my stories. Beware, there are some slight spoilers with crest picture.**

**I need input from you guys. Reviews are what makes me happy and speeds me up. For faster updates, send more feedback.**


	38. Reunite and Reveal

**Things are beginning to approach the high point of the story: where more crest modes emerge, the enemies become more apparent, and general awesomeness occurs. But first, a few events must occur. Important events happen in this chapter, so pay attention. Other things are more subtle and suggested. Hope you enjoy.**

The eternally cheerful, glowing shape of the DigiGnome floated across the sky. This digital world was vastly different than the one it usually dwelt in and knew. But the bright sun overhead was an enjoyable new experience that it was marveling at and it could deal with the lack of data streams.

Giggling as it flew over a flowering field, the DigiGnome was pleasantly surprised as small butterflies fluttered around. The colorful insects and glowing creature glided above the fragrant plants, unconcerned by anything. The wish-granting digital being greatly enjoyed the simple things and making others happy. The only thing that it could ask for would be to have someone to play with or grant wishes for.

The nice human girl in the cloak brought it here where she and a human-looking digital being asked it to help create items of power that combined the shape to interact with D-arcs and the power children used in this reality. The DigiGnome found the idea of crests widely fascinating. But now it didn't have anyone else to help.

The butterflies began to fly ahead of the glowing creature, almost like they were leading it somewhere. The insects paused finally, circling a small cube that the digital creature vaguely knew to be a device human called a television. But more importantly, it could sense that it provided a connection to the human's world. And if it couldn't find someone who wanted their wishes granted here, maybe it could find someone there. Humanity was such an imaginative group of beings, like that Shibumi and the D-arcs, so one would expect to grant creative wishes in the human world that would make many people happy.

The DigiGnome giggled at the possibilities, nodded in thanks to the helpful butterflies, and vanished through the Digi-Port.

* * *

Obviously meeting after the rescue mission would need to be done carefully. Thus, Izzy found himself once again in an alleyway, this time with Jeri, Takato, Tentomon, and Guilmon. This wasn't as clean as the last one he stood in, but it was one of the wider ones in the area. The large dumpster that shared the space with them was filled to the brim with trash from the restaurant whose back wall formed part of the alley with the antique store on the other side. The red reptile digimon sniffed at the discarded food, but his partner barely noticed beyond an absent-minded admonishment to not eat the dumpster's contents. It was clear to the reddish-brown haired Digidestined that the young Goggle-head's thoughts were on one thing: their missing friends.

On second thought, Izzy mentally corrected, Takato was considering two things. He was obviously wondering if Beelzemon, Leomon, WarGreymon, and Tai managed to get into the apartment, rescue the twins and parent, and escaped safely. The boy's direct and aggressive approach was specifically designed to catch the awaiting enemy unprepared and minimize the time and risk of the entire process. Unfortunately, it also maximized the collateral damage to the building. But, as the tamer pointed out after they left, it was easier to let Beelzemon destroy what was in between him and the twins rather than trying to convince him to be subtle. Worried megas were not known for their patience when there was a threat to their partners. If the virus smashed through the wall as part of a plan, it would be less chaotic for the rest of the rescue team knew about it rather than him randomly storming the apartment.

But Takato's mind also seemed to drift occasionally towards one of his fellow tamers, as did his gaze. While sometimes Izzy seemed to do better with computers rather than people, he could recognize the awkward, goofy, embarrassed look that the younger boy gained when his eyes moved towards Jeri. It made sense, in a way, that Takato would have a crush on his fellow tamer. Those with digimon partners were attracted towards each other, both as the closest of friends and, in some cases, as romantic couples. The best example of that phenomenon would be Sora. She and Tai, in their younger days, possessed a special connection that sprouted from their friendship into an obvious attraction that they never really acted on properly. Afterwards, when it became apparent she and the spiky-haired boy intended to not be more than friends (regardless of what their partners secretly hoped at times), she didn't date other boys at their school. She didn't do anything relationship-wise until her abrupt decision to start spending more time with Matt. She never tried dating anyone who wasn't a digidestined. Another example would be Ken and Yolei, a pair who grew close nearly overnight due to the glasses-wearing girl's forceful personality over-coming any possible resistance. And Davis' bold statements about the topic might have diminished in frequency, but everyone knew he thought Kari was "the one". It just turned out that those with digimon had more in common with each other than with those without partners. Their experiences in life were radically different than the average kids, so they related better with others like them. With those examples and reasons, it didn't seem impossible for the tamers to eventually form similar relationships within their ranks.

Jeri's thoughts, though, were clearly on only one thing. She clutched her yellow D-arc tightly, glancing both towards the end of the alley and towards the sky as she waited for her friends' return. She was worried. She was completely worried about the well-being of the digimon and humans in the line of danger. Izzy wondered if she was normally that nervous about danger or if it was simply because she wasn't with her partner. Dividing pairs like this wasn't generally the best strategy, but both Leomon and Beelzemon insisted she stay far away from the threat. Thus, she simply worried at a distance.

"Do you think they're alright?" she asked finally. "It's taking them so long to get here. Could they have gotten the directions wrong and got lost?"

"No, we just had to find a sneakier way to get back," a voice answered as three shapes of varying height entered the alleyway. Tai, Agumon, and a slightly frazzled Mrs. Kamiya rejoined them before the Digidestined of Courage continued, "Surprisingly, the giant, armored dinosaur caught everyone's attention and we had to take a less-direct route."

"And whose idea was it to destroy our living room?" the parent inquired, sounding only vaguely annoyed by the destruction in the face of the fact it was for a good cause.

"It was Takato's," smiled Guilmon, taking pride in his partner's plan even if his bragging could cause the boy problems.

As she turned her attention towards the tamer, he began to defend his idea, "Yeah, but… you see, it… well, I thought… Sorry, it wasn't… Um… Oops?"

Shaking her head, she sighed, "When digimon became public knowledge and the world began to adapt to them, I bought the best coverage for digimon-based damage that we could afford. You don't have them involved in your family this long without learning to prepare for any possible outcome."

Takato was distracted from enjoying his moment of reprieve by a large dark shape dropping from above. It was clearly Beelzemon finally arriving, no longer radiating the earlier anger and Izzy felt more comfortable studying him. The differences that Tai had noticed were just as evident to this boy as it was to the spiky-haired one. The virus' raven-black wings folded up as he landed. His emerald eyes were no longer burning with pure fury. In one arm, he held the two young children whose innocent appearance still clashed in Izzy's mind with the image of their demonic-looking partner. The pair clung to the mega's leather jacket as if they never wanted to let go of their friend again. In his other arm, he held a small, red and blue shape that was very slowly starting to stir. All three were in his protective grip.

"Hey, Jeri," began the virus uneasily. "I'm so sorry about this, but… Leomon kind of shrunk."

With great care, Beelzemon set down the smaller digimon where everyone could see. He was mostly red with longish ears and a peacock-like tail of large feathers. The small quadruped had various blue markings on his head, ears, legs, back, and tail feathers that matched his drowsy eyes in shade.

Jeri blinked in surprise at her transformed partner and glanced at her D-arc. The device pulled up a holographic image of the digimon that she read off softly.

"Elecmon. A data type mammal digimon. Facing his Super Thunder Strike and Lightning Knife can be quite a shock to his opponent."

"What happened?" asked a stunned Takato. "How in the world did Leomon de-digivolved when facing a group of humans?"

"Because they were armed with some kind of anti-digimon weapon," growled Beelzemon. "Like the thing around the bug-zapper building, only they could fire it at you. You don't even get any warning since you can't see or hear it happening. It's more effective against lower level digimon, but even I could feel it a little." He looked down, "I'm sorry that this happened, Jeri. I should have…"

"It's alright," she interrupted. "You brought him back safe and you're alright too. It's not your fault. No one knew how prepared these people were and everyone _did_ make it back. Including your partners. That's all that matters: that everyone is safe."

Yeah, the munchkins are safe," he smiled in relief. He glanced at Tai, "Hairball, your mom's now joined the 'Never Allowed to Baby-sit the Twins' list."

"But almost everyone is on that list," reminded Guilmon. "You said only you, Jeri, and Leomon could watch them now."

"Well, if they stay with someone else, look what happens. They either nearly get attacked by some digimon or held hostage by jerks in suits."

As the mega Izzy remembered as being called a "Demon Lord" argue with the reptile about how he wouldn't be trusting the safety of Ai and Mako to just anyone, the tamer in the green dress knelt down and picked up her rookie level partner. While smaller than his champion form, Elecmon was still a heavier burden than Terriermon, Patamon, or some of the other digimon that could be picked up by their partner. The red and blue creature seemed lethargic, possibly a side effect of whatever devices their attackers used. But he blinked tiredly at the girl as he seemed to be waking up.

"Jeri?" the data type asked sleepily, his voice slightly younger sounding than that of Leomon. "What happened? How'd we get back?"

"I grabbed you after those creeps went after you with those cheap sci-fi movie knock-off weapons," replied Beelzemon as he set down his partners and shifted back to his purple, rookie form. "I have a feeling those idiotic, insane, waste of space, insult to humanity, _losers_ will wake up with the worst headaches they've ever experienced."

"You don't take kindly to people who threaten your friends, do you?" Tentomon commented.

"Not at all," Impmon nodded.

"Um… I know we just saved the little kids and my mom," remarked Tai, "but we do have another problem. These Digital Anomaly guys know where we live and are after us. Where can we go that we don't run the risk of them coming after us? Izzy's house is probably safe enough for my mom, but we would likely get attacked if we head there. Same thing for any of the other Digidestined's homes. We need somewhere to hide until we figure out a plan."

Before the Digidestined of Knowledge could start listing suggestions, the goggle-wearing tamer smiled faintly, "When we were dodging well-meaning people trying to evacuate us during the D-reaper incident, we came to one conclusion on the perfect hiding place. It's the last place a sane kid would chose to go. Which means no one would expect us to be there."

Izzy briefly wondered what in the worlds was a "D-reaper," but Tai seemed less confused by that detail. The Digidestined of Knowledge assumed that it had been explained while they were in the Digi-world and promised himself to ask for more details later.

"I wasn't exactly with you at that point, Goggle-head," reminded Impmon. "Where are we heading?"

* * *

**She and Fate watched as a heart-broken child was drawn away from her friends. A voice promised to give her what she most strongly desired at that time, relief from the pain. The girl didn't know that following that promise would lead to disaster.**

"**If only she knew," her cloaked partner remarked softly. "If she didn't go to that nightmare, it would save them a great deal of pain."**

**Destiny reminded, "If she didn't choose to go on her own, then we would have to make her go. What must happen must happen. No matter how much suffering will erupt from her decision."**

"**It's just too bad they don't realize what is about to be unleashed."**

"**And what will happen because of its unleashing upon the world," she added before reciting part of the current prophecy. "'Two individuals, one inside and one outside. One, who carries the weight of the deaths of innocents from his actions, will try to rescue the one who deserved life far more than he. But the Chaos brings about the greatest pain and punishment to those who seek to do what is right. And another digimon partner shall be lost.' It doesn't seem fair, but that is what awaits them."**

**Fate nodded slowly, "It isn't fair. But we can't stop it either." He tilted his head and tried to make a joke, "I always knew that puppet was evil."**

Destiny blinked in surprise. Not only had she remembered part of another prophecy, word for word, she'd also recognized another person. Jeri.

This wasn't quite the right memory either, but it was very important. She was so close now.

* * *

"I am extremely disappointed in you, Tamiko Mizutani," stated Mr. Konishi, glaring at the chaotic images on his computer screen of the destroyed apartment his operative were barely extracted from before the police, and media, could swarm the area. But enough neighbors and bystanders were attracted by the noise to see the DADP employees leaving. Covering this event up would take some serious work. "I don't suppose you have an explanation for what has transpired today? Starting with why you were there to begin with."

The blond woman tried to focus on her boss, but the earlier strange moments of familiarity concerning the pictures in files on the Digidestined, the dark digimon's features, and other disconnected images fluttered through her head. Why were her hallucinations beginning to haunt her again? Maybe skipping her medication so long was not such a good idea. If those old dreams could be awakened by simple things like a picture of a bird-like digimon or the gaze of a three-eyed monster, perhaps she should have taken those pills after all.

Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts, Mizutani tried to reason, "I was merely attempting to provide the retrieval team with the greatest chance possible by giving them the greatest information resource to use. Besides, their regular leader was unable to be there."

"Yes, I noticed that he was suddenly reassigned off the mission. I don't see _how _that could have happened," he remarked, giving her a look that clearly stated he suspected Mizutani but lacked evidence to prove it. "But that is only the start of the problem. Even if we forget for a moment that you ignored orders in order to go on that mission, there is the fact of how events unwound. The mission was a failure."

"It did not go according to plan," she acknowledged, ignoring how much of an understatement that was. "The targets were not at home when we arrived ruining the chance of a quick and simple extraction. Further complications occurred, leading to the unforeseeable conclusion that we experienced."

"Your fellow DADP employees were attacked by 'a giant, black-winged monstrous digimon' that the DD-guns couldn't stop. Poor Taiki had his nose broken when it slammed his face into the floor."

"Maybe it'll improve his looks," she mumbled softly. She never liked that guy anyway. Louder, she elaborated, "Three digimon, one a champion and the others of an even higher level, broke in and attacked. The DD-guns were set at a lower setting in order to capture a rookie and champion rather than defend against high level digimon making the first attack. It did incapacitate the champion digimon I identified as Leomon, but they took him with them when they escaped. If the weapons had been a setting appropriate for the target, they would have been just as effective against all of them."

Sighing, Mr. Konishi pulled up an e-mail on his computer and hid the image of the destroyed living room. As Mizutani scanned the letter, key words caught her attention. The grey-haired man began to explain.

"This was sent not long after the digimon began their attack. It was a warning sent to all the Digidestined about DADP and instructing them to go into hiding. Someone also fixed it so it can't be easily traced to the source or the other receivers. The only reason we have it is because a parent in PAD found it on her son's computer and forwarded it to other PAD members, including some of our employees. The police are already receiving reports of missing kids. And if I don't take steps, they're going to blame us and try to shut us down."

A sense of deep foreboding began to form. She could tell something bad was about to occur. She could almost guess the next words that would come out of his mouth.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mizutani. Someone must take the fall for this disaster and you've placed yourself in that position. We will explain to the media that it was your decision to take this rash and completely unwelcome action against the Kamiya family. You stole DADP resources, lied to personnel in order to fulfill your own agenda and acted on your personal vendetta against digimon," he described in a calm voice. "You have a history of mental health problems and apparently took on too much responsibility. The stress of your job at DADP, a company with a purely neutral stance on the topic of digimon, led to a re-emergence of your delusions and causing your actions. You will be relieved of your duties here and shall no longer be our employee. For your own good, of course. And finally, a full investigation of how you could have lost so much progress in your recovery of your mental health, and what else you might have done because of your problems, will be conducted. Do you understand?"

She narrowed her eyes at the man. He was going to throw her to the sharks, letting her take the fall for everything. He intended to say the raid was her idea, that anything the Digidestined accused DADP of was her doing, and that she was essentially insane. He planned to use her troubled past to make his story stick. But the worst thing was he intended to fire her since, after he was finished dragging her name through the mud, she would be considered a liability to the company.

"But, sir, what about the Guardian program?" she asked, struggling to remain calm. "I still need to finish setting the parameters in order to be able to activate the full-power version without wiping out every digimon in range. Until then, all you have are the weakened and simplified versions in the shield and DD-guns."

"We have other employees. One of them will take over the project."

"But it's _my_ project."

He shook his head, "Not anymore. Why don't you start clearing out your desk? I'll have someone from security up here shortly to escort you off the premises."

Unable to think of anything else to say, she numbly mumbled, "Yes, sir."

She walked slowly down the halls, not looking at anyone or anything. She couldn't believe what just occurred. It seemed too unreal. The odd flashes of memory from her old hallucination seem more possible than for her to have been fired. She couldn't _really_ have just lost her job, her purpose.

Mizutani continued in her disconnected state until she reached her desk. She sat down, pulled open her drawer, pulled out her bottle of pills, and stared at the label for a moment. Then with a snarl of disgust, she tossed it at the wall.

How dare they? How dare they fire her? How could they blame her for everything and take away her project? It was hers. She created it. It was her pride and joy. She designed it to protect against digimon and she wouldn't even be allowed to finish it. They can't take it away from her.

"It's not fair," she growled softly, ignoring how childish and naïve the statement sounded.

"Of course not," a strange voice agreed, startling her. "They can't take the Guardian project away from you before its activation."

"Who are you?" asked the blond woman, identifying the source of the voice as coming from her computer speaker. She wasn't certain why or how whoever was talking was doing this, but she was even less certain she trusted him. "How did you get on my computer? Let alone know anything about them stealing Guardian?"

"I'm someone who simply wants to see your dreams come to fruition. I just wonder why you have not activated the program already."

"The parameters have not been set. If we try, it'll go after every digimon within range."

"Would that be so bad?" the voice asked, echoing the thoughts she'd often wondered. "All digimon are a threat to those they encounter. Wouldn't the world be better without the digital monsters? Would it not be a better idea to activate the program now, while you still have control, rather than let it fall into the hands of those who do not truly understand the dangers of digimon?"

"I… don't…" she tried to explain. The voice spoke sense, his words matching those she'd always thought. But his voice unnerved her and created a deep feeling of unease. Her instincts shrieked that she shouldn't trust that voice at all, and yet she wanted to do what he said. Sighing, she answered, "I'm not certain how far I would be able to get the program to extend at this moment."

"Leave that to me. I can divert power to your program if you activate it. You've isolated it or else I would be able to activate it myself. You just need to start it and I'll ensure that it reaches all the digital threats."

He was right. Though most of the computer systems in the building were fairly isolated from the outside world, she took further steps to ensure the safety of her prize program. The last thing she needed was for some hacker, or one of her brainless competition at DADP, to get access to Guardian and ruin or steal her work. And this mystery speaker just stated he would have used it himself if he could. On the other hand, he wanted to use it the same way as she did. He wanted to use it to remove the danger of digimon.

"You do not have long to decide, Tamiko Mizutani," he reminded. "They're coming to take it away. Who knows if they'll ever finish it on their own? All your work could be wasted if you don't use it now. Start the Guardian program."

Some hidden part of her mind rebelled against the idea. It fought against the idea of doing anything this voice suggested. It went as far as to wonder, since he _wanted_ her to use the program, if having Guardian existing was even the right thing? Could she be wrong about her work? What if… she was wrong about hating all digimon?

**A flash of creamy-white softness and a pair of honey-golden eyes flickered through her head. Emotions quickly followed. Friendship, trust, and joy were quickly replaced with sadness and loneliness. Then, confusion, hurt, and disappointment joined in. Finally, she felt a strong sense of betrayal, anger, and hatred washed over and erased the earlier positive feelings.**

No. This needed to be done. It was right. She was doing what was needed to be done for the greater good. The Guardian program would solve everything.

She sat down at her computer and proceeded to pull up the appropriate files to access the program. But once she was far enough along, the computer began to proceed on its own. The Guardian program began to run without her control. She stared at the symbols running across the computer screen in surprise until the voice began to laugh. The sound was cruel and dark, sending a shiver along the woman's spine.

"Foolish human. Did you not wonder why, after being unable to make your silly program work before, you discover how to on the very day that this city was attacked? Even as I was defeated by the Digidestined, I put my plans into action. Thank you for protecting and improving my project for me. You never even noticed the hidden programming, did you?"

"No," she whispered, horror dawning on her. "You used me. You secretly gave me what I needed to create Guardian in order to use it."

"Precisely. It hid part of me from destruction and served as a future weapon against all who stand."

Mizutani saw that the program was now spreading throughout the DADP network, no longer restricted to the isolated section of her computer. It was having trouble gaining its way to the external networks, but she had no doubt in her mind it would infect the whole internet in time. Like a virus.

"You're the digimon from a few months ago," she stated. "Armegeddemon."

"Once, but you may call me 'Diaboromon' for the moment. Now, watch as I use Guardian to create a better world."

Without further warning, the fire alarms in the building rang out. Every person began to flee for the staircase from the supposed fire. One woman, however, ignored the sound in order to try and stuff her mistake back into Pandora 's Box before it was too late.

**I hope you guys like this. I finally reveal the mystery enemy's identity, though many people guessed after the last chapter. And disaster is about to strike the human world. You know what that means: awesome fight scenes in the future and important twists.**

**As always, feedback is deeply appreciated. I want to know what you think of this chapter and the story over all. Thanks.**


	39. Princesses and Puppets

**Once more, it's back to the tamer's universe. I have to keep it balanced in order to keep the time lines lined up, after all. That way, when everyone meets up once again, they will be in sync. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

The powerful kick connected with the skeletal creature, the force knocking SkullSatamon across the rugged landscape and causing the lower-leveled digimon that watched from the shadows to finally flee permanently. The viral ultimate seemed shocked by both the transformation and unexpected strength of Justimon. He did, however, recover quickly, rolling to his feet in a series of dry clicks.

"Fascinating," he chuckled. "But do not assume victory is yours yet." Twirling his staff around and swinging towards the mega, he cried, "Skull Hammer!"

Justimon responded to the approaching threat by raising his right, robotic arm that transformed and formed an energy blade that moved to meet the staff, "Voltage Blade!"

As the two attacks connected and stopped the other, DemiDevimon cackled in impressed glee. When Justimon moved further towards SkullSatamon and grabbed hold of the deadly-looking staff, the bat's excitement only increased.

"Take him out," the rookie cheered. "Destroy him with his own walking stick."

"Never shall I allow it," stated the ultimate in his raspy voice. "My power shall not become your strength," he declared as he shoved his opponent away.

"Nope, it'll be mine," sneered the rookie.

The red and black skeleton stared at the small virus for a moment before chuckling dryly, "So that is your plan. I see. You have a great deal of confidence and ego to try such a thing. Still, I will not give way. Your prize shall not be easily won."

"Won't it?" asked Justimon as he leapt into the air and his right arm enlarged. As his larger, robotic fist slammed into the ground, he announced, "Thunderclap!"

Shockwaves radiated out from the impact point, cracking stone and upturning rock. The brittle, leafless tree that clung to the rough surface uprooted and fell. When it reached SkullSatamon, the viral ultimate was knocked flying back until he landed in a painful-looking heap. He stayed still for a few seconds.

Then, with surprising speed still at his disposal, the skeletal digimon sat up and pointed his staff at the mega with a cry of "Bone Blaster!"

The silvery humanoid rolled out of the attack's path, red scarf trailing behind, and raised his own arm, "Justice Burst!"

Like orbs of blue lightning, he fired powerful energy bursts that caught SkullSatamon in the ribcage. With a dry, raspy, but surprisingly loud scream, the ultimate began to come apart. As he did in the past, DemiDevimon dove into the cloud of dissolving data. The dying creature turned his skull towards the bat and grinned in resignation.

"Congratulation, cowardly plotter, on using others to bring your power. I know you will not live long to enjoy your prize. Those who reach too far for great, potential power are likely to take too many risks and fall."

"No, I've planned it all out," muttered the rookie. "Nothing will stop me."

"We'll see," sighed the ultimate before vanishing completely.

"What was he talking about earlier?" asked Justimon. "What did he think you're planning?"

Blinking his yellow eyes in surprise, DemiDevimon took a moment to answer. Even then, his voice sounded falsely cheerful and forced. It gave the mega further unease about the small digimon.

"Don't worry about what that crazy bag of bones said. It was nothing important. The important thing is that we have only one more target before we're ready. You know, to gain revenge against those traitors that killed you and weakened me."

Very, very slowly, the vaccine nodded, "Alright. Where are we going next?"

"We're looking for Puppetmon, who is likely in the forest level. If we go back the way we came…"

The mega grabbed the viral rookie and leapt across the landscape, "To the cave, then."

* * *

The tower was tall and strong, allowing the princess to overlook her kingdom. Her window opened out to face the great ocean that bordered her homeland. Her palace stood upon the shores, impressive in design and structure and overshadowing anything else in the area. The castle's ruler, princess of all she surveyed, felt a great sense of pride at what she saw. Nothing could compare with her castle…

Calumon tripped and fell over part of the sand castle, crushing the section beneath the in-training's weight. Princess Suzie swiftly became Suzie Wong again as her kingdom crumbled back into grainy particles. The tiny white creature glanced up towards her as his ears shrank down.

"Sorry," he frowned.

"That's okay," the girl smiled as Lopmon helped him up. "We'll make another one. And it'll be even bigger and better. With more towers and a wall awound it."

"And bakery with yummy goodies?" asked the former Catalyst. "And a really tall building where Yamaki, Riley, and other people do boring stuff all day?"

The young girl laughed, "It's a castle, silly. Not a city." She grabbed a handful of sand and began her reconstruction, "They don't have offices, subways, apartments, or school. They have kings, queens, knights in shining armor like Gallantmon, and horses. And, of course, pwetty pwincesses in dwesses."

"But what will Yamaki and Riley do? The stare at computer screens all day. What would they do in a castle?"

She thought for a moment before declaring, "They could be Woyal Bodyguards! If someone is gwumpy or mean, Mr. Yamaki can glare at them thwough his sunglasses until they get scared away. Then, he and Miss Wiley can watch you, Calumon. You can be the Woyal Jester."

"What's a Royal Jester?" questioned the small digimon.

The tamer shrugged, "Someone who makes people laugh, have fun, and be happy. And they wear a funny hat with bells."

"Yay! Ding-dong, jingle-jingle," Calumon cheered, his ears expanding to their full size. "Ding-dong, ding-dong, jingle-jangle-jingle."

She giggled at the hyper-active antics and glanced at her calmer partner. Lopmon might try to be all grown-up and mature, but the grayish-brown and pink rabbit smiled faintly at the in-training currently pretending to be wearing a hat that rang with each step. Even her big brother, Henry, wouldn't be able to act completely serious when Calumon was around. The little guy was just fun to be near.

Suddenly, Suzie noticed that Lopmon's gaze was on something behind her. The girl turned and looked down the shoreline. Yamaki was still there, were he'd been flicking his lighter while acting serious and boring. But he wasn't alone anymore. The hooded figure, Destiny, was now there. In addition, she could see Kenta and his pink partner.

"Hey, more friends," announced Calumon as he caught sight of the arrivals before gliding towards them excitedly.

Smiling, the young tamer picked up her partner and followed after the creampuff-loving digimon. While Yamaki's expression (as much as could be seen around his dark sunglasses) was grave, the white digimon joined the adult with eager anticipation for whatever might occur. MarineAngemon circled the in-training for a moment, looking equally excited to see him, before flying towards the running child and rabbit.

"Pi-pi-puh pii," the mega coaxed.

While she didn't actually understand the pink creature's words, his insistent gesture and a quick movements gave her the impression that he was trying to convince her to hurry up.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she replied, carrying her rookie in her arms still.

"Hello, young one," greeted Destiny when Suzie finally joined the group. "I see you are well. I hope you've enjoyed your short break from the challenges, even if you did not expect to have it."

"It was fun," the child nodded. "But Wyo was supposed to be here. You said we would find him."

"And you shall," assured the cloaked figure. "Though you do not realize it, you will be having to find that he is lost in more than one sense. But in order to help him, there are other things you must be ready for."

"Like how some new, tough, evil opponent that will be showing up soon for us to stop," interrupted Kenta. "Of course, she didn't mention that before we started the rescue mission."

"So, in addition to locating and retrieving Ryo Akiyama, we must now defeat a presumably powerful enemy with a mere fraction of our forces," summarized Yamaki.

"Do not fear," Destiny instructed. "I bring more than ill tidings." She reached into her dark cloak and pulled out two white rectangles dangling on pair of thin golden chains. Suzie vaguely noticed that Kenta wore one of these odd necklaces around his neck already. When the young tamer was handed one, she immediately placed it around her neck. Yamaki, on the other hand, studied the blank surface for a few moments while Calumon stared in fascination from his perch on his partner's head. "I bring gifts to aid in your mission."

"Gifts? Is this because yesterday was my pawty?" asked Suzie. "I told Daddy I'd open the pwesents later."

"This is not a birthday present. Instead, it is a tool to be wielded responsibly, in order to help you in your endeavors," the cloaked being clarified.

Once again, Kenta interrupted, "They're crests. She's giving us crests."

"Like the cartoon?" questioned Suzie, blinking in surprise. "I saw some of them. They got the sky wrong and didn't have any pink lights at all. And the D-awcs looked funny."

"They made the show before they really had the chance to learn about the digital world," the glasses-wearing tamer explained. "It's made up. But apparently 'crests' are real."

"Oh, neat," smiled Calumon. "Those crests are really cool. Um… what's a crest?"

Kenta drew himself to his full height and adopted a lecturing tone that would have impressed his teacher, "A crest is an item of power from the television show that drew on the inner strength of the human partner based on one of their most prominent positive traits. Like brave Tai was Courage, compassionate Sora was Love, dependable Joe was Reliability, and smart Izzy was Knowledge. According to her," he pointed towards Destiny, "ours are different traits than those on the show. Which means it won't be Courage, Friendship, Love, Knowledge, Sincerity, Reliability, Hope, Kindness, or Light. In the show, the crests let their digimon reach the ultimate level."

"But Lopmon can alweady turn into Antylamon," reminded Suzie. "With a blue card. Why would we need a cwest, then?"

"An item of power is far more versatile than you think," Destiny remarked. "When the time comes, you will discover their purpose." Taking a step back from the tamers and digimon, she added, "Ask Floramon to point you towards the site of their old home and go there to find friends and enemies alike. And remember this. Victory shall be delivered by the one you least expect."

She took another step back and opened a portal, quickly vanished from view. The group stared for a moment at the earlier occupied space. Then, the children and digimon shrugged it off. The fact she did this fairly often diminished the shock factor. Yamaki, with less experience at the impossible, took a little longer to get past the disappearing act.

Suzie glanced up at the adult tamer, "Aren't you going to put on your cwest, Mr. Yamaki?" She grabbed hold of her white rectangle, "It goes awound your neck, like this."

The man stared at her for a moment before sighing, shaking his head slightly, and following her and Kenta's example. He slid the golden chain over his head, knocking Calumon off his usual perch in the process, and allowed the crest to rest next to his tie.

Nodding in satisfaction, Suzie turned her attention back to her own rectangle. On the show, crests weren't shaped like cards and they had funny pictures on it. Maybe it was just another thing that was different on T.V. than in real life.

"You're knowledge of the television show is proving to be useful, Kenta," Lopmon commented. "I don't think Rika will refer to your obsession as childish anymore."

The boy grinned, "When we get home, all of you are coming over to watch them. I have all the episodes and I intend to properly educate you. Crests, Dark Masters, Digi-Eggs, and DNA digivolving. We'll cover everything."

"Oh boy, cartoons," cheered Calumon.

* * *

It was humiliating, annoying, and boring. The pace was agonizingly slow and they seemed to have no real sense of fun, but Behemoth went along with it. Being left alone in the forest wasn't much of a better option either. It preferred the open spaces which gave it plenty of room to race and terrorize the digital world. There might be more digimon available to possess on the forest level, but it could still end up alone and abandoned in the vegetative, constricting, entangling mess for a long time if the tamer with too little intelligence to be sensible and leave it. Given the choice between solitude for an indefinite amount of time and remaining with Kazu, the motorcycle felt it was better to be a "good, little, demonic bike."

"And then, all the beautiful girls in the room stared in adoration as I played with the Power card and my WarGreymon took out his final defense," the boy bragged. "And that's how I won that contest about three months ago."

"I thought Rika said you lost that contest in the preliminary round," remarked Guardromon.

"She must have been thinking of another one."

Behemoth was beginning to wonder if being left to rust in the smothering, shadowy, enclosing forest alone _might_ have been the better choice, however. The tamer never stopped talking and, with the hat-wearing youth riding it, the sentient vehicle could hear every, single, bragging story he came up with. Honestly, the unending stream of unbelievable tales made the bike question how the robotic champion could still be sane.

The demonic motorcycle gave a bored rumble. The unexpected sound caused the boy to pause in his current conversation and tighten his grip on the handlebars uneasily. The bike would have smiled if it had the mouth to do so. At least he still feared the vehicle. It honestly wondered why Kazu decided to climb back on. Did he have a death wish? Was he truly crazy?

It was confusing. The tamer even said leaving Behemoth would be the wise thing to do. He was obviously paralyzingly scared the sentient vehicle would repeat his earlier insanely fast ride. But that didn't stop him from bringing it. Maybe his crazy actions were related to his earlier comment about Beelzemon joining the tamers. Because of that simple fact, Kazu tried to ride it originally. Did them sharing an ally (supposedly) mean that Behemoth wasn't supposed to terrorize the tamer?

It followed the viral mega after their initial meeting because the dark digimon possessed a hunger for destruction, chaos, and power that rivaled its own. In fact, there had been no reason to control Beelzemon's mind even if it wanted to. The red-eyed demon already acted like his thoughts were consumed with acts of violence. They were made for each other.

But if he truly changed, as Kazu claimed, would he still have that evil streak that appealed to Behemoth originally? Likely not or else the annoying tamer would be dead. And if Beelzemon was different now, should it even bother trying to find him? Did it even want him back as a rider if he no longer wished to race across the countryside at high speeds?

Surprisingly, the sentient vehicle realized it did. It _liked _the viral mega. It didn't want to find another rider to terrorize the digital world. Behemoth would stay with Beelzemon, even if he no longer sought to terrify and destroy everyone around him. Turns out, the bike did feel a sense of loyalty towards the dark digimon.

Loyalty. Was that why Kazu decided to bring him along? Because he was loyal to his friends and now he and Behemoth shared a common friend? Did that mean the tamer was loyal to the motorcycle and vice versa? That actually made some sense.

"Oh, goodie," a voice chuckled cheerfully from above. "Some new toys to break."

Dropping out of the trees was a vaguely humanoid-shaped digimon that seemed to be made entirely out of wood. On his back was a large X-shaped piece of wood that had strings connecting the four ends to his feet and his white-gloved hands. He wore a bright red hat and his nose was long and pointed. In his grip was what looked like a combination of a hammer and a revolver. The digimon wasn't as tall as some of his brethren, but the motorcycle could sense that creature's power was that of a mega. Behemoth's engine rumbled uneasily, cautious of the strange, powerful being.

"Wait a minute, I remember this guy from the show," exclaimed an excited Kazu as he dragged out his brown-ringed D-arc. "Puppetmon. A virus type mega digimon. His Puppet Pummel will show you this guy's not toying around," he read from the holographic screen before glancing back up. "I can't believe I'm facing one of the four Dark Masters. That is too awesome. Wait until I tell Kent-_hey_, give that back!"

During the tamer's ecstatic babble, the wooden mega grabbed one of his strings, swung it through the air, and snagged his D-arc. Now, with a mischievous grin upon his face, the living marionette addressed the boy.

"Look at how shiny and nice this is. I wonder if it'll break if I smash it with a hammer."

"Unhand that, you manner-less cur," demanded Guardromon.

"Make me," the mega shot back. "This game is called 'Keep Away.' If I get away, I get to keep it. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Laughing childish, he leapt into the treetops and vanished from easy sight. Behemoth, on the other hand could tell which way the troublesome creature was moving. With a deep growl, it began edging forward. If the stupid kid was going to be loyal to it, the bike intended to return the favor. Besides, going after the pest _had_ to be more fun than what it had been doing earlier.

Glancing down at the demonic vehicle, Kazu seemed to understand the unspoken request this time. He tightened his grip and braced himself.

"Shut up, Rika," the boy muttered softly, adding further evidence to Behemoth's belief in the tamer's insanity. In a louder voice, he instructed, "Guardromon, follow me as fast as you can. Behemoth…"

At its name, the sentient motorcycle took off at high speed towards the fleeing Puppetmon. Trees, roots, bushes, and a nervous passenger limited the velocity it could achieve, but the bike was still racing as the robotic champion flew after.

**The last time that we saw the bike's viewpoint, all of you seemed to enjoy it. So here is another sample of that. And I also included Suzie's views as well. Both she and Behemoth have interesting ideas on the world.**

**I've also included some more clues on what some of their crests will turn out to be. One is more obvious than the others. Your guesses are welcome. In fact, any type of feedback is greatly appreciated. Hope you liked it.**


	40. Forgiveness

**I'm sorry about how long it is taking to update currently. My summer job is seriously cutting into my creativity. But this chapter is fairly long, which might make up for it.**

**And back to the Digidestined universe again. There will be some fighting later in the chapter too. **

"So, we're hiding at school?" asked a skeptical Tai.

"Would _you_ ever expect that?" Agumon questioned. "If I've learned one thing, it's that no kid, other than Izzy or Joe, would come here by their own free will."

"And it's summer time, which means very few people are here," added Izzy. "Those in summer school are kept in one area of the building so the janitors have less ground to cover when cleaning. The computer lab is completely deserted."

"But how are we going to get inside," wondered Jeri. "Won't they have the room locked?"

"I have a key," the Digidestined of Knowledged replied. When he received a number of questioning looks, he shrugged, "I spent so much time in here with Davis and the others, I finally convinced Mr. Fujiama to make me a copy of the key so I could 'work on my various projects in my spare time' and I would update all the school's software in return."

The group of Digidestined, tamers, and digimon were forced to travel across the city in groups of twos and threes in order to be less conspicuous. Mrs. Kamiya, after a little convincing, went to Izzy's home instead. The parent promised to inform the reddish-brown haired youth's family of what was going on and to try calling the out-of-town Digidestined. Without the adult, they made it to Takato's chosen destination with minimum attention drawn. The fact that they no longer were traveling with a giant humanoid-lion might have something to do with the fewer stares they received this time than they had before.

Tai glanced at Jeri as they shuffled into the computer lab. She still held the now-wide awake Elecmon in her arms, though the rookie pointed out he could walk on his own. Though the youth hadn't relayed the tamers' story of Beelzemon, Leomon, Jeri, and the infamous D-reaper to Izzy, the Digidestined of Courage remembered it well enough to understand her reluctance to let him go. He couldn't imagine losing Agumon, having no hope that he would ever see him again, regain his partner through a sheer miracle, and then learn he could have lost him again due to _human_ enemies. No one thought that anything those Digital Anomaly people would have been able to harm their higher level digimon, but their tools ended up causing Jeri's partner to nearly be captured. Or maybe worse.

He didn't want to admit it, but what happened today at his home further proved his inadequacy to serve as a leader of any kind for the Digidestined. It was Takato's idea for both the attack plan and the location to escape to. It was Impmon who realized something was wrong, though the boy should have noticed the tone his mother spoke with over the phone was tense and nervous. It was Leomon and Beelzemon who led the attack and dealt with the agents inside the apartment. And while he and WarGreymon rescued his mother, it was the other mega who saw the threat to his team mates and saved the unconscious Elecmon. Tai just couldn't seem to duplicate his successful exploits of the past.

The Digidestined of Courage wondered how pathetic it was that his glory days were over before graduation. It seemed his life could only go down-hill from now on. Takato and Davis were still in their prime, still able to be the one who saved everyone. They could be the leaders the Digidestined and tamers needed. Tai had passed on more than his goggles and the basic role of leadership. He'd passed on his old self, losing everything that allowed him to do all of things in the past, and was left as a nearly useless relic. He didn't contribute to the team anymore. He just took up space and nothing more.

"Tai?" asked Agumon softly, looking at his partner. "Are you okay?"

Adopting a forced smile, he replied, "Other than my home being in need of a serious remodeling job, I'm great. Think that we should make our room bigger?"

"Do you think we can?" the orange reptile smiled back, apparently accepting his assertion of being fine.

"I think we'd have to shrink Dad's office, but maybe," he shrugged.

Izzy dragged his laptop over to the desks supporting the nervous computers and began connecting various cords in some kind of technological web that only the greatest geeks could comprehend. Tai guessed he was doing something similar to when he connected to the laptop to the Kamiya family computer during the original Diaboromon fiasco so many years ago. And if he could use two computer systems together to create a plan to hinder the dangerous virus, the former goggle-wearing boy could only imagine what could be done with this many at Izzy's disposal.

"While most of the Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing's computer systems are isolated from the outside, they must have at least a few openings that I could use. Every real programmer leaves a backdoor and every backdoor has to connecting somewhere. Even if their main files are isolated, encrypted, and hidden as a ghost file, someone in that building will be sending e-mails or something in their free-time. I'll find that connection to the outside would and sneak in."

"So, you're hacking into the super-secret, creepy government agency that just tried to hold the munchkins hostage and you're using one of those fold-y computers and a bunch of school ones?" asked Impmon, raising an eyebrow. "Don't these mystery government guys usually have the insanely high-tech junk and school gets the useless hand-me-downs?" The purple rookie remained near both the door and his partners. He hadn't been very far from the young pair since their rescue. From the digimon's current position, it was clear that Impmon was placing himself in a position where any new attacker would have to go through the virus before reaching his partners. As much as the digimon's personality might seem annoying to handle, the Digidestined recognized that under his gruff exterior was the same protective instinct all partners seem to possess. That trait was even clearer after the rescue mission when he nearly lost the twins. "Are you that crazy, confident, or talented, Techno-Geek?"

"Probably all three," Izzy replied, starting up the numerous pieces of technology and quickly becoming completely absorbed by his work.

"But if anyone can do it, it'll be Izzy," stated Tentomon, shaking his head as the boy barely responded to the compliment.

Guilmon sighed tiredly, "Takatomon, are we going to be here long? It's boring in here and I haven't ate in a while."

The younger boy scratched his head comfortingly, "Don't worry, boy. When we get time, we'll get you more bread than you can imagine."

"I don't know. I can imagine a whole lot."

"Well, maybe not _that_ much," Takato acknowledged. "But it'll still be quite a bit."

"Okay, but will you make it Guilmon Bread? I like it better," he smiled innocently. He glanced at a slightly confused, but highly amused Tai and explained, "Its bread that's shaped like my head."

The red reptile's partner grinned, "That will have to wait until we get home, but I think I can do it."

"That made him happy," Jeri remarked, her mouth twitching with a faint smile.

"Guilmon does find joy in the smallest pleasures," reminded Elecmon, glancing up at her.

"Only because he's simple-minded," mumbled Impmon. "But he _is _Pineapple-head."

Agumon shook his head and met his partner's eyes. Their carefree exchange, even after the unpleasant events they just escaped, reminded both the orange dinosaur and the spiky-haired boy of the old days. Back when the Digidestined were trapped in a strange new world where a deadly threat could appear at any time, they took any chance they could find to smile and laugh. No one could live in perpetual fear and dread (except maybe Joe) without losing all hope and giving up. And Guilmon's innocence offered a chance to lighten the mood.

"How about we run down to a store and grab some food," Tai suggested, glancing at Takato. "Izzy's project could take some time. And as long as the digimon stay here and we're quick, we shouldn't attract any attention."

The goggle-wearing boy considered for a moment, "I think everyone would feel better with something to eat, but can we afford it? We have six kids and five digimon to feed. And I live in a bakery and _still_ have trouble keeping up with Guilmon's appetite."

Smiling, the Digidestined agreed, "I saw him at Gennai's little picnic. But I still think we can manage to scrape up enough money to at least get a little food." Shooting a look at the Digidestined of Knowledge, Tai asked, "Izzy, want to donate to the 'Feed the Digimon Foundation'?"

Not even looking away from his various screens, he began digging into his pockets for the requested money. After a moment, Jeri produced a small amount to contribute.

"Sorry, I don't have much, but I didn't exactly bring a lot of money to Suzie's party," she apologized.

"I can always get something myself," reminded Impmon.

"By conning Guilmon out of his bread or stealing from noodle carts?" asked Takato. "I think it would be better to avoid committing crimes."

"You take all the fun out of food, Goggle-head," the virus smirked slightly. "Fine. Just make sure you bring back enough for everyone, not just your bottomless-pit partner."

* * *

"…Ugh, my head," moaned Veemon, finally rising out of his unconscious state. "What hit me? What happened? Davis, what's going on?"

The boy, holding his blue partner close to him, didn't immediately answer. He was in too great of awe at the activation of two crests within moments of each other. The tamer, Henry, had vanished as the others did during the entire Biomerging process. This resulted in a large, metallic digimon with a canine face, a strange symbol across his chest, and more weapons than anyone outside the army would ever dream about. Ken's partner, on the other hand, was insectoid, armed with a spear, and was, currently, invisible and attacking the increasingly frustrated Minervamon.

"A lot, Veemon," the Digidestined finally replied. "A lot is going on."

"Spike Buster," announced the unseen JewelBeemon, his attack coming out of nowhere to strike the viral mega.

"Stop that," ordered Minervamon. "It isn't fair or nice. Now, turn visible so I can destroy you properly like I'm supposed to."

Out of apparently empty air, his voice remarked, "That isn't your best argument."

Davis swiftly shifted his attention towards the other pair of combatants. While he wasn't very happy that he and Veemon were on the sidelines, he was going to make the best of the situation. He was going to watch, learn, and possibly pick up some new battle ideas that could impress Kari. Plus, he essentially possessed front-row seats to what was already proving to be an amazing show.

"I can't believe we've gone from the size of a city block to this," grumbled Terriermon's voice from the green robot.

"Our size as a mega was always a problem," the tamer's voice reminded. "This size is more practical."

"More vile merging with putrid humans," shrieked Dianamon. "How low can you fall and to what depths will you go? Why do you still insist on siding with these foul creatures? Your traitorous actions shall be your undoing. Arrow of Artemis!"

The icy projectile, aimed straight towards the vaccine's face, soared through the air with deadly intent. But rather than move out of the way, MegaGargomon narrowed his eyes at the arrow.

"Laser Sighted!" he announced as his blue eyes shifted to red and beams shot out to destroy Dianamon's attack.

Davis, Veemon, and MegaGargomon seemed nearly as shocked by the vaccine's new ability as the blue-eyed female whose arrow was destroyed. Terriermon summed up the situation perfectly.

"Wait, now I shoot _laser beams_ out of my _eyes_? Yes! That makes up for shrinking. Bring it on, Dianamon."

"Why can't you see things our way?" she sighed, sounding truly regretful. "You could have been a great ally, if only you could get past your entrapment to that boy."

"We do understand your view," replied the dual-voiced mega. "We just don't agree with it."

Switching from her nicer mood to a level of fury that would impress Yolei, or Rika (Davis shuddered at the thought of the red-head), the data type snarled, "You will accept it, one way or another. Even if I must destroy you. It is far better to die than to remain enslaved. "Arrow of Artemis!"

MegaGargomon clapped his hands together in front of him while shouting, "Reflecting Retaliation!"

The small weapons on the back of his wrists fired as he pulled hands apart, producing a bright green wall of translucent light that absorbed the icy projectile. After a second, the same frozen arrow that vanished into the… _force field_, Davis decided… flew out at the same speed, straight towards the original shooter. Dianamon's sapphire eyes widened in surprise right before her own attack reached her.

Knocked back by the icy projectile, she sunk down to ground level. Davis exchanged an impressed look with his partner. Using an enemy's power against themselves… that was extremely impressive to watch. If ExVeemon or even Imperialdramon managed to pull off that kind of stunt, even Kari would fall for him. The boy wished he was taking notes.

The vaccine type mega planted his feet more firmly on the ground, preparing for the next strike from the recovering lunar digimon. While Davis wasn't an expert, the Digidestined felt the Biomerged being was in the middle of an internal conversation. Dianamon seemed to also be in deep thought, her eyes alternating quickly between furious and sympathetic as her mood shifted likewise. She did seem to come to a conclusion about her strategy, however.

Ignoring her icy arrows, she leapt to her feet and launched herself towards the robotic mega. Apparently, she intended to fight without attacks that could be reflected back. The blue-eyed data seemed to think she could defeat him with her dual-bladed weapon.

"Mega Bombardment!" the robotic dog announced as his chest compartment opened wide and released the multiple projectile that resided there, each enhanced by a glowing green aura.

Davis and Veemon shut their eyes at the bright explosion that erupted upon the missles' impact. When he looked again, MegaGargomon had moved in to pin Dianamon to the ground. For a moment, she struggled insanely against the bulkier digimon before growing instantly calm.

"Well done," her sweeter voice acknowledged. "And you chose not to finish the battle? That says something about both of you." She glanced away from the mega and her eyes darkened and her voice hardened. "But you fellow traitor has pushed his luck too far. I believe Minervamon is growing angry."

Davis swiftly shifted his attention to the other battle. JewelBeemon was still using his new ability to become invisible by shifting light around him. The ultimate peppered the mega with attacks she couldn't see coming. Her earlier cheerful smile was gone, leaving a sullen frown in its place.

"It isn't fair," she mumbled darkly. "Turn back. Turn back now." The virus type actually stomped her boot like a spoiled child. "I want you turn back so I can see you and destroy you. Do it now!"

"That isn't going to happened," remarked JewelBeemon, still hidden from view. "So stop asking."

"No. No, no, no, no," she answered, her voice becoming more high-pitched and upset. In fact, it was reminding Davis more and more of a young kid having a tantrum. "No, no, no, no, no. Madness Merry-Go-Round!"

As she screamed out the attack, she performed a horizontal spinning slash and created a large tornado. The Digidestined of the Digi-Eggs of Courage and Friendship dove towards his friend, Ken, and forced him flat as the strong winds tore through the forest. The gusts pulled at the boys and rookie clinging to the ground. JewelBeemon lost his invisibility as he was pulled into the funnel and crashed into the debris also trapped in the tornado. Hopefully, his thick, prism-like armor would protect him from most of the harm that she was trying to cause.

"Suzie is better behaved than _that_," Terriermon's voice shouted the howling wind. "Sorry about this, Dianamon, but your friend is being a problem."

Just as Gallantmon threw the vaccine out of Valkyrimon's twister earlier, MegaGargomon hurtled the armored data type _into_ the hurricane. The wild winds halted their intense force, allowing the humans to sit back up. Dianamon and Minervamon were now a tangle mess of mega level digimon. Neither were moving much and certainly they weren't about to try attacking again.

"What have you done to my followers?" a new voice asked.

Digidestined, rookie, recovering ultimate, and Biomerged mega all turned towards whoever had joined them now. All of them stared at the stranger until Terriermon, once more, summed up all of their thoughts.

"Oh, come on. Another one? How is this fair? Why is it the anti-human guys always have more members than our side?"

* * *

She sat on one of the chairs in the computer lab, Elecmon resting on her lap. She'd quickly discovered that her partner, at least in his rookie form, enjoyed having his head scratched gently behind the ears. The red and blue digimon smiled lazily as his eyes shut with pleasure. It was funny to be the one holding him this easily after all the times Leomon effortlessly picked her up.

Compared to the tall champion she knew so well, Elecmon seemed so small and cute. Jeri actually found several of her friends' digimon "cute." Guilmon definitely qualified in her opinion, though some people might argue against the word applying to a large, red reptile. Terriermon and Lopmon were essentially living plush animals, their appearance almost begging to be hugged. MarineAngemon and Calumon were practically the definition of "cute." Renamon was closer to some form of mysterious beauty rather than some more dainty word. Even Impmon was kind of cute (but she would never tell him that since he wouldn't take the word "cute" as a compliment). But she never thought Leomon would be cute. Strong, handsome, brave, and wonderful made sense to her, but Jeri never would have guessed she would find him this adorable.

And while it was kind of nice to have a cute partner, Jeri shuddered slightly at the circumstances that caused him to change. She could lost him again. He could have been killed and she wouldn't have been able to prevent it. Honestly, it wasn't fair. She just couldn't protect him. Not now and not back in the digital world when Beelzemon… She knew she wasn't a warrior, but she wasn't even a guardian. She was a useless burden.

"I'm sorry, Elecmon," she muttered softly.

The mammal digimon's ear twitched, "Hm?"

"I'm sorry that this happened to you," clarified Jeri. "I wish that I was a better partner, a stronger one. Someone who could actually help you."

"Jeri, that's not…" began the stunned Elecmon before he was interrupted by an even more surprised voice.

"Wait, back up. What in the digital world are you talking about? You actually think you're not strong?"

Impmon stared at her like she was insane. The brown-haired girl remembered Takato giving her that look when her puppet made an odd remark right in his face. It was a different experience when the purple rookie directed the expression at her than when the goggle-wearing boy. But he wasn't the only one staring at her after her remark. Guilmon, Ai, Mako, and Tentomon all gave her a confused look while Elecmon tried to turn on her lap to better face her. Only Izzy, his attention solely on the computer, didn't react.

"I'm not strong," she explained. "Not really. Sometimes, I might be able to have the heart of a lion and protect my friends, but most of the time… I can't even keep my own partner safe."

"Jeri, this isn't your fault," Elecmon reassured. "Don't…"

"For someone as smart as you are, Jeri, what you just said is completely stupid," the viral rookie interrupted again. "I've faced Devas, megas, the D-reaper, and the twins' mother in a bad mood, so I know what I'm saying when I tell you that you aren't weak."

He crossed his arms and stared at her for a moment, seeming to gather his thoughts. Jeri couldn't hear anything in his tone except for seriousness. Anytime he didn't have a slight sound of teasing, mischief, impatience, or frustration in his voice, the purple digimon must truly care about the topic.

"Take my hand," he finally instructed, reaching out his red glove towards her. She hesitated, wondering why he would ask, before obeying. "Why did you do that?"

Blinking in surprise at the question, the tamer answered simply, "You asked me to."

"You've never understood how… impossible that sounds," the rookie shook his head. "No one would blame you for not trusting me or for hating me. You shouldn't have anything to do with me, Jeri."

"But you're my friend. And I forgave you a long time ago."

"Exactly. You forgive. You care about people, digimon, and even your goggle-headed boyfriend." Jeri blushed slightly at Impmon calling Takato her boyfriend, but she wasn't nearly as embarrassed as the boy would have been. Takato was easily rattled by things like that and if anyone suggested it, he would have been reduced to random, sweet babbling. The rookie, however, was on a roll. "And because you actually care about them, you can forgive the unforgivable in others. You aren't as good at forgiving yourself, but you give everyone else a second chance. You're so good at it that you don't realize how hard it is to forgive."

The girl watched the surprisingly serious virus type continue his rather impressive pep talk. The other observers, including her own partner, remained silent as he spoke, but occasionally nodded in agreement with his assertions. And so far, Jeri was having a hard time disagreeing with anything he said.

"And you didn't just forgive me," Impmon continued. "You forgave Goggle-head for turning the naïve Pineapple-head into the crazy monster. You don't seem to hold anything against Braniac's dad for causing us digimon to be tossed back into the digital world, but that's beside the point. Compared to all those powerful digimon and crazy programs, Jeri, _you_ are the strongest person I know." He smiled mischievously, "And if anyone says otherwise, then they're stupider than Kazu with a head injury."

"Jeri," Elecmon finally stated, "I wouldn't trade you for any other tamer in the entire human world. You have a lion's heart and a kind heart. And you are far stronger than you think."

She smiled at the two rookies and pulled them close for a hug. They were right about one thing. She forgave others far more easily than she did herself, even when what they did was on purpose. And, as she held these two small creatures close and Impmon complained half-heartedly about the "mushy-stuff", she knew she shouldn't keep blaming herself like this. The tamer would forgive herself for not preventing what she couldn't foresee. It did no one any good and served only to cause her to doubt herself. She deserved to be happy and confident. She never wanted to sink back into any level of depression again.

If they said Elecmon being dedigivolved wasn't her fault, she needed to accept that. And if it was somehow, she needed to forgive herself just as she would forgive anyone else.

While Impmon was trying to wiggle out of the growing group-hug (the twins and Guilmon had decided to join in), he suddenly gave a surprise yelp that caused everyone to let go in surprise.

"Whoa, bright! What's with the light show?"

When the tamers and digimon untangled sufficiently, Jeri could see the unexpected light source Impmon mention was her crest. As the white square hanging around her neck glowed, yellow lines appeared across the surface. In moments, an image formed. It was shaped like three-fourths of a teardrop shape with an identical one of smaller size inside it. In addition to the "light show," Jeri began to notice an unusual ringing. Then, the ringing became a strange, echoing voice.

Forgiveness. The act of giving up resentment against or the desire to punish those who have done wrong. It means surrendering the opportunity for revenge and exchanging hatred for compassion.

Some things are easy to forgive, but others are nearly impossible. But offering to forgive means giving a second chance. With it, regretful enemies can become valued allies and friends who lose their way can be found. Other times, the same crimes may be repeated over and over. But as long as forgiveness is offered, the hope for redemption remains.

It is always easier to forgive the transgressions of others than to offer a second chance to yourself. The mind exaggerates and strengthens the perceived crime until nothing another might do can match yours. But just as forgiveness must be offered to those who seek it, so must you accept it when it is given to you by others and yourself. Everyone deserves a second chance.

Forgiveness.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered softly.

Everyone watching shook their head except Elecmon. The red and blue digimon stared at her crest, his ears perked with interest. He obviously knew what she was talking about, at least.

"Hear what?" asked Izzy, glancing up from his glowing computer screen. "What's going on?"

Impmon shook his head, "Techno-Geek, you can be as oblivious as a goggle-head." And he glanced over at Jeri, "And whatever that the thing does now, don't mess with it yet. Any of your card-looking things have really flashy effects and that isn't helpful when hiding."

The tamer smiled in agreement. Whatever effect her new crest produced, now wouldn't necessarily be the best time to experiment. She could wait.

Ai glanced over at her brother, "I wonder what ours will look like. Jeri's is really pretty."

"I bet it's going to be cool," Mako grinned.

Their partner ruffled their hair, "It won't be as cool as me, munchkins. Because I am the best thing that ever happened around here."

The girl couldn't stop herself from laughing lightly at the trio. They were too adorable for words at times. They twins were sweet and the Impmon tried so hard to keep a certain level of his old reputation. But it was hard to keep your dignity when two four year olds tackle you with a hug while giggling.

**The biggest problem with ordinary MegaGargomon has always been his size. It's perfect for citywide destruction of evil programs. Not so great for smaller spaces or less collateral damage. Thus, his crest mode has him smaller.**

**Second, Jeri's crest took a lot of consideration. I had multiple ideas, but Forgiveness is what I finally decided on. As I said before, there's a link on my profile that'll lead to Impkat's deviant art page which features a picture of the crests. **

**Hope all of you are enjoying the story. I'll update when I can. Thanks.**


	41. Diaboromon

**Well, since the enemy is Diaboromon, there is one particular individual that I should at least mention in this story. It also allows me to explore a certain aspect of the creepy virus' thought process. We know he's smart, destructive, manipulative, and deadly. But I think there has to be something else considering who and what he is.**

**I also had to figure out the time difference between Japan and New York City. That should give you a clue of who we're checking in on.**

Willis, American digidestined who could use the Digi-Egg of Destiny and partner to Terriermon and Lopmon, sat at his computer. He might be close to Davis and that generation of digidestined in age, but the blond boy already possessed college credit and his mother gave him far more freedom than most. He'd even gone from New York to his old childhood home in Colorado with only his white and green rabbit digimon for company after delivering a flimsy excuse about backpacking with some others.

But that was back when the other half of the twin set was corrupted by a virus. A virus that originally attacked a digi-egg that Willis created on the computer as a child, producing the horror that became Diaboromon. He created a monster that almost dropped a bomb on him and Japan, which would have killed untold numbers of innocent people. Then, the virus stole away Kokomon for years until Magnamon and Rapidmon destroyed the viral Kerpymon. Only after that did Willis regain his partner.

He glanced over at where the pair of rabbits was lying on his bed. The digital brothers were so similar in appearance; they were different in personality and sleeping styles. While Terriermon was the more outgoing of the twins and used his ears like a pillow while snoring, Lopmon was more reserve, nervous, and uneasy with strangers. Willis didn't remember this level of hesitation back in the old days, but the years he spent corrupted by the virus took their toll. But the brown rabbit wasn't beyond hope. When Lopmon did relax, he would hum or sing happily to anyone in the area. Unfortunately, not only did he hum softly in his sleep, the rookie was also completely tone deaf.

As Lopmon reached a particularly sour note (the digidestined wasn't certain _which_ song was being mangled by the sleeping brown rabbit, but it certainly didn't deserve this fate) and Terriermon snorted slightly before rolling over, Willis rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. It was amazing how two little creatures could produce that much noise. And his mother wondered why he was up at all hours of the night on his computer. If he wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway, why not make use of the time?

Besides, a large percentage of his friends lived on the other side of the globe. If he wanted to communicate with Davis, Izzy, or any of the other digidestined in Japan, it took a little planning concerning the time difference. Or he could work on gathering information on the American digidestined so that Izzy's data banks could be as complete as possible. He could always find something to do.

Fighting back a yawn, the blond-haired boy stretched his arms above his head. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and even struggling to sleep through the racket sounded good. Willis rubbed his tired eyes and began to shut down his computer. Just before he turned it off, he spotted a new e-mail. The heading was simply "Hello" and he didn't immediately recognize the address. Curiosity stirred in his sleepy mind. The digidestined dragged his mouse over and opened the e-mail to read.

The font and format seemed fairly ordinary, but even before he began reading, there was a strange sense of dread that filled him. He couldn't explain why that was, but it only grew worse when he actually began to read.

"Hello, Willis. You knew I would come back. You thought I was destroyed by Omnimon on the internet, years ago. You thought I was gone once you regained your partner. You thought I was finally a distant memory when your new friends defeated me on the other side of the world three months ago. I will finish the destruction here and then return to you. I'll find you, Programmer. After I take control of this island and wipe the humans and digimon who threaten me out of existence. Until then, don't interfere.

Soon, Japan will be but a memory. The world will follow, but these Digidestined will be the first to fall. Can you count backwards from ten?

And tell Kokomon I said 'hello'."

The boy stared in horror at the glowing screen, unable to believe what he was reading. While it never explicitly states who sent the e-mail, it was clear enough. But if it was who he thought it had to be and it was across the globe causing trouble, Willis needed to alert the Digidestined. Unfortunately, if he felt confident enough to e-mail the boy, he was likely expecting Willis to take action and didn't care. Still, the boy intended to try. It was his fault that he existed in the first place.

Willis gently leaned over and stroked Lopmon's head. He would never let the little rookie be harmed by his mistake again.

* * *

_He shouldn't have sent that e-mail. Though he'd found that small connection to the internet on the personal computer of one of the DADP employees, he shouldn't have done it. Providing the enemies with a warning is a foolish thing to do, but Willis was the reason he was self-aware. He created his digi-egg that was attacking by a virus. That boy even provided a new vessel when Omnimon destroyed his first body. Kokomonn served him well for four years until he was forced out by Magnamon and Rapidmon. And then he regained his old form, just in time for that Davis to defeat him again. Those digidestined were nothing but a threat and he'd just warned them._

_But it didn't matter anymore if they knew. He was in complete control of the Guardian program and DADP building, even with Tamiko Mizutani attempting to stop him. Soon enough, there would be no hiding what he was doing from the world. It would be obvious and a five minute warning would do nothing to assist them. In ten hours, he should be in complete control of Japan, regardless of what anyone might do. And once one tiny chunk of this miserable world was rid of all life, the rest would fall._

_Diaboromon initiated his next step, pulling up the necessary code he buried in the Guardian program. Every computer system in the building, interconnected to each other, but isolated from the outside, began to glow blue. Doubtless, the blond human would be startled by the event, but the viral creature couldn't care what became of his old pawn now that she'd served her purpose. Just as those kids world use the technology in order to appear and disappear from this world, he was using it to bring his creature into the human world._

_Each screen began to release a blue mist that crept across the floor and moved towards the closest pathway to the outside. The mist didn't act natural, but it wasn't supposed to. It wasn't a weather phenomena, subject to forces of nature like air currents or being burned away by sunlight. The blue mist was a physical manifestation of the full-power of Guardian, flowing like a river towards doorways and window cracks. It would suck the energy from anything it encountered like electricity from appliances, the energy of digimon that allowed them to retain their forms, and even, when at this extreme setting, the chemical and electrical power that gave life to organic creatures. Tamiko Mizutani never found this particular aspect of Guardian, but it would serve him well. It would destroy everything in the human world. Then, he would use it on the digital one._

_Yes, everything would be destroyed in both worlds and he could consume all the data on the internet to become even stronger. And everything would be his to rule as he wished. The mass destruction of his enemies and everyone else would be glorious, but he would seek out Willis personally._

_His memories of the years possessing Kokomo were fuzzy, but it did allow Diaboromon to find the boy in the city of New York to e-mail. No doubt finding him in the human world would be just as simple. That particular digidestined would be destroyed by the virus' own hand. He was the programmer, his creator, and almost his partner. Willis created him to become another partner for the boy, though they never succeeded in that. He'd even possessed the child's partner, making him even closer to being his partner. But Willis was special and deserved special treatment. No bomb to destroy him at a distance this time. He would destroy the digidestined up close and personal, as was his right as Diaboromon's almost-partner._

_Everything else can simply die from Guardian._

* * *

"We bring the gift of non-Guilmon bread and slightly stale creampuffs," Takato announced as he came through the computer lab door, causing the waiting digimon and humans to smile at the foods' arrival.

"They aren't stale. You're just complaining because you don't think they're as good as what's at your parents' bakery," argued Tai, following. "I learned one important lesson between going hungry in the digital world and surviving Mom's cooking: if you can eat it, don't complain too strongly since you never know when the next time you'll be lucky enough to find a fridge full of eggs sitting in the middle of nowhere might be."

"Did somebody lose it or did you plant it and the fridge grow there?" asked Guilmon curiously, intrigued by the thought of random food. "I planted my bread once, but it didn't grow into a bread tree."

Ai giggled, "Bread doesn't grow on trees. It comes from stores and bakeries. Leaves grow on trees. Or fruit."

"Like coconuts on palm trees on deserted islands," suggested Mako.

The two goggle-heads set down their bags of food, causing Takato to toss his partner a loaf of bread to keep him from trampling over everyone in excitement. Even if they had lunch only a short time ago, the snacks were quickly snatched up. There is something comforting in the familiar act of sharing a meal with friend. How often did the tamers end up sitting at Guilmon's hideout while the reptile dug up his buried snacks while the others ate treats that _didn't_ spend time underground first? Even if it wasn't from the Matsuki bakery, it was still bread.

Takato grinned to himself. He was beginning to sound like Guilmon. Food was not the answer to all of life's questions. Even if he included peanut butter with the bread.

The brown-haired boy glanced over at where Jeri was passing creampuffs to the twins and her small partner. She was one of the best with young children out of all the tamers due to the fact she lived with Masahiko, had Calumon bouncing around on a regular basis, and excelled at being patient. Only Henry, with his sister to provide experience, could match her at keeping small kids calm. While they'd seemed unsettled and nervous upon their rescue, Ai and Mako were getting back to themselves in the presence of the older girl and their partner.

After a moment, he noticed something different about Jeri. One detail had changed since he last saw her.

Unable to think of a better way to phrase his odd question, Takato blurted out, "Jeri, you're crest has a weird yellow raindrop on it now. When did that happen?"

"What?" asked Tai, his head snapping up in surprise.

She smiled slightly and looked down at the stylized image that now decorated the previously-blank rectangle. Elecmon bore an expression of pride. Impmon simply cackled.

"You two missed her crest thing going all glowy and freaky," the purple rookie explained. "And Techno-Geek didn't even notice all the theatrics until it was over because he was busy with his computer."

As Tentomon prepared to defend his partner, the Digidestined of Knowledge gave a stunned gasp, "Prodigious. Guys, I think things have just got worse. Willis just forwarded an e-mail he received."

"What did it say?" asked Agumon.

"And how is it going to make things worse than what we're already dealing with?" Tai continued.

"Diaboromon," answered Destiny, appearing in a more normal fashion than usual, opening the computer lab door and stepping into the room.

Though less unusual than coming through a portal in midair, it still startled half the group enough that Izzy jumped, Impmon prepared a small fireball to throw, and Tentomon gave a small shout before they identified the girl properly.

"Guess you got an update on this prophecy," Takato remarked after he calmed down from being shocked.

She nodded, "'Past foes in new forms.' He has returned, but not as he once was. He's been busy since his last defeat, playing both sides in order to increase hostility between humanity and digimon so that when unleashes his horror upon both worlds, they can't possibly unite against him in time."

"How many times do we have to beat him?" groaned the Digidestined of Courage. "He returns more often than Myotismon."

"Well, you just proved Willis' theory," Izzy remarked. "The virus just sent him a message about taking out everyone, starting here. He even repeated the comment about counting backwards from ten."

"Ten hours," the prophetess interjected. "Without interference, all of Japan shall be lost by midnight. As he gains more control and power, he shall bring the destruction at a faster rate until the worlds, human and digital, falls."

"The question is," Agumon frowned, "how is Diaboromon planning to do it? The internet is acting alright and no swarm of Kuramon is appearing throughout the city. Other than these Digital Anomaly people, things seem normal."

"Maybe he's working with them," suggested Guilmon. "They're like the old Hypnos, so they have to have dangerous programs too. If I was evil, I'd use that stuff."

"You may choose your moments," Impmon muttered after a moment, "but you can actually have a good idea at times, Pineapple-head. If this Dia-boring-mon guy gets those sci-fi weapons, he can use them against us digimon. And who knows what other 'fun' toy they have at the 'Building of Doom.'"

"They hate digimon," reminded Tentomon. "Why would they work with Diaboromon? He has a history of causing problems for everyone."

Tai suggested, "I suppose he could figure out some way to use their stuff without their knowledge. He once launched a pair of missiles against the U.S. government's will. I'm sure, given time, he could steal some top-secret doomsday devise from the guys in suits."

"So your old enemy, in a different form then before, judging from Destiny's words, could theoretically be using a new enemy, who exists in a form similar to our familiar Hypnos, to enact a plan to destroy both worlds," summarized Elecmon. "Is that not similar to what Destiny has already warned?"

The dark-haired girl nodded, "It is worse than that, though. The basis for their shields and weapons is in his grasp and is being released as we speak. A program, imagined for the possibility of protection, but forged with the power of pure destruction, is freed by Diaboromon to remove all life forms. Unstopped, both worlds will be left barren and silent."

Everyone in the room gave an involuntary shudder at her bleak description. The young twins cringed closer to their partner. The older tamers exchanged a look while Impmon narrowed his eyes.

"A program that destroys everyone… Does that remind you of anything?" asked Takato uneasily.

"It does and I don't like it," growled Impmon.

Guilmon nodded, "Me neither."

"It's called 'Guardian,' but it protects no one," Destiny described. "It was designed as a weapon against digimon, but it has exceeded that. Diaboromon is going to use it against everyone and it won't matter if they're digital or organic."

"It is sounding way too much like the D-reaper," Takato remarked, knowing exactly what that would mean for this world. "Which explains why we're here, isn't it? Because we've faced that kind of destruction before."

"I'm getting a little tired of being in the dark," complained Izzy. "Who or what is a D-reaper?"

"An awful nightmare," Jeri growled, "that I will never let hurt anyone again."

"Or use them like some kind of twisted version of a battery," continued Impmon. The viral rookie, the brown-haired girl, and her partner looked ready to go after the threat themselves. Takato wasn't far behind them, though he was a little less personally angry at the thing. "It was a freaky program that tried to destroy digimon and humans for 'exceeding our boundaries' and was harder to kill than a cockroach."

"It was pink and gooey and scary," Ai added. "But it's gone for good now."

"Well, this Guardian thing is too close for comfort," the purple rookie muttered. "If I see a giant eyeball that talks or find out it has some damsel in distress trapped in a sphere, I give up."

"Though similar in nature, Guardian does not take on all of the traits of the D-reaper," Destiny explained. "And it is guided by the will of Diaboromon. He commands its actions and changes."

Nodding with understanding, Takato asked, "You said he's already unleashed it. What are we looking for?"

"Check the news," she answered. "He is no longer attempting to hide his presence, so the program's effects should become obvious. But you will find further help outside this building."

Izzy responded by pulling up another window on his computer while the rest of the group nearly trampled each other as they headed for the front door. Luckily, the halls were still deserted or else some poor janitor might have been squashed beneath a stampeding dinosaur or kid.

What they found outside caused Tentomon and Agumon a sense of déjà vu and the tamer half of the group to stare in surprise at the strange, but recognizable creature.

"Anyone else seeing a purple Kyubimon?" whispered Takato.

"I see an oddly colored me," Tentomon answered.

"Well, I definitely see another Goggle-head," Impmon grumbled. "That just what we need: another crazy human."

**Diaboromon's egg was Willis' attempt to make another partner for him to have fun with. Unfortunately, it became infected and tried to take over the internet. During that event, he called every phone searching for "the Programmer" and mentioned to the digimon he was looking for "the Programmer" and to not interfere. He was looking for Willis and, when he found him, he tried to blow him up. Then, when the virus possessed Kokomon, he kept harassing the kid. On the one hand, it could have been Kokomon's attempt to return to Willis that caused the monster's obsession… or it might have dealt with the fact that Diaboromon wanted to be near Willis. I think, since Diaboromon was supposed to be his partner originally, he has that usual connection that partners feel towards one another. But, because he's been corrupted by a virus, that usual protective instinct has mutated into an instinct to destroy. The only way that he can express himself is to destroy, so he wants to kill Willis personally since he "cares" about him most of all. Kind of twisted, but it makes sense. Viruses (the program, not the digimon type) corrupt and destroy computers and programming, so Diaboromon seeks to corrupt and destroy everything around him.**

**Reviews are always greatly appreciated. Thanks.**


	42. Stubborn Angels, Felines, and Denial

**Well, another chapter is ready for your enjoyment. A little action and an extremely odd view point in this one. Between this one and Behemoth, I'm really enjoying trying to get into the minds of the most unusual characters. Hope you like what I have for you.**

As much of a rush Biomerging might be, the intense power and new form it brought, it was nothing compared to this new experience. Even if Terriermon complained about the size difference, the crest gave them more power than he could've ever imagined. Between their new shape, MegaGargomon Empathy Mode, and the digivolution of JewelBeemon, things were actually going their way.

Until another joined the fight. He was humanoid with wings, like an angel, but deadly and sharp-edged. His wings, instead of being composed of long, soft feathers, were made of razor-like blades. His helm concealed most of his face beyond his mouth and strands of blue hair in the back. His helm also bore a curved knife-like "horn." Though he was mostly shiny silver in color, there was an area of blue with gold markings on his arms. Or rather, where his arms would be since his hands and forearms were replaced by long swords. Even his feet were shaped like daggers.

"Oh, come on. Another one?" complained Terriermon's voice. "How is this fair? Why is it the anti-human guys always have more members than our side?"

"Momentai," shouted Veemon, climbing to his feet as he used the rabbit's catchphrase towards them. "I can go Flamedramon and help out this time. Davis?"

"You got it," the boy nodded.

"Veemon Armor digivolve to… Flamedramon, the Fires of Courage!"

While the exchange took place, Dianamon untangled herself from the other mega enough to stare at the new arrival. Her sapphire eyes widened.

"GuardiAngemon, why are you here?" she asked. "It isn't right for you to degrade yourself by associating this close to humans. We can handle them."

"Calm yourself," the sharp-edged being instructed. "I am a guardian, a protector of those in need. And if my followers are threatened, I will defend them."

She closed her eyes and shifted to a softer tone, "Be careful of them. Things are not what they seem and they are filled with surprises."

"As am I," he responded before launching himself towards MegaGargomon.

"Yikes," yelped Terriermon's voice as the Biomerged mega dodged. "Isn't there a rule about running with scissors?"

"I don't think it counts if _he's_ the scissors," remarked Flamedramon before gaining a red fiery aura and announcing, "Fire Rocket!"

Leaping up from where Minervamon's tornado knocked him, JewelBeemon added, "Spike Buster!"

GuardiAngemon parried with his large, blade-like arms, preventing the ultimate and armored digimon's attacks. But it did slow him down enough for the third attacker to strike.

"Laser Sighted!" the dual voices of MegaGargomon shouted as his eyes fired at the vaccine.

What neither half of the robotic digimon expected was for GuardiAngemon to tilt his metallic wings to reflect the light towards the attacker. However, when faced with his own lasers, the Biomerged being responded quickly with his own defense.

"Reflecting Retaliation!" he announced, forming a shield to absorb and reflect the light beams.

"If we keeping bouncing it back and forth, no one will ever win," Terriermon pointed out form the robotic canine's form.

Henry knew his partner was right, but they needed to do more than just beat him. From what Dianamon said, this was their boss. The angelic warrior was the one who believed that humanity was pure evil. He'd listened to a digimon describe the "cruelties that mankind would rain down on the digital world." If they could convince GuardiAngemon that the stranger was wrong, they could stop this entire problem.

"Listen, humans are not what you think," the boy's voice explained. "We don't want to be your enemy. You can't judge all of us by the actions of a few or by what one digimon said. Judge us by what you experience for yourself."

"So you're one of the humans who enslave the digimon's very minds by stealing their form," frowned the sharp-edged being. "I've heard of this recent development. It seems he was wrong on who the greatest threat my followers would be. I will not allow that to continue. Golden Ripper!"

Arms outstretched to form a cross, the angelic digimon began to glow before firing the cross-shaped blast and forcing MegaGargomon to dodge the powerful attack. JewelBeemon used this opportunity to vanish into thin air, preparing for a repeat of his earlier strategy against Minervamon. Flamedramon, after a moment's consideration, positioned himself protectively near the two Digidestined in case either the silvery mega or his followers should try to harm the "evil humans." Happily, Dianamon and Minervamon weren't attempting to fight currently. Neither of them was in the ideal condition for it and the snakeskin-wearing mega appeared to be sulking. Focusing on just the one opponent and convincing him would be hard enough without the mood-swinging data type or the childish vaccine complicating it further.

"No one here is brainwashed or whatever you think," Terriermon shouted as the robotic mega jerked away from an attempted slash of GuardiAngemon's blades. "Except maybe you and your minions."

"Further insolence," snarled Dianamon, using her dual-bladed weapon to climb up. "Let me punish his behavior."

GuardiAngemon shook his head, "You have fought well and deserve to rest. I shall handle the threat myself."

With that, he swatted out apparently at random with his left arm near one of the trees that had survived the fight mostly unscarred. But, as impossibly lucky it might seem to be, the blow connected with the invisible insectoid ultimate and caused him to tumble to the ground.

"Humanity has left you sloppy," the angelic creature commented towards the mildly stunned JewelBeemon. "You may become invisible to the eye, but you brush against tree branches and are not silent to the ear."

"Hey, here's an idea," MegaGargomon suggested moving between the quickly recovering ultimate and the sharp-edged mega. "You listened to one side of the story and accepted it as truth with limited evidence. Why not listen to our side? Wouldn't that be fair?"

GuardiAngemon paused for a moment, giving the Biomerged mega hope for using reason to get through to him. But, the angel shook his head and raised his arms once more.

"No, I will not become bewitched by the lies you would speak," he answered. "I cannot risk becoming a human's slave. Humanity has enough potential for harm without gaining my power."

"Face it, Henry," Terriermon's voice sighed. "_Zhuqs_ would be easier to reason with. He's convinced that one digimon's word is trustworthy because he saved the poor guy and that we're trying to turn him to the 'Dark Side.'"

"But he _needs_ to understand," whispered the boy within the green sphere.

"I am truly sorry that all of you have succumbed to this fate," continued the winged mega. "You would have been fine allies if humanity did not steal you away to serve them. All I can hope is that you will be luckier in your next lives. You will be remembered as brave warriors that deserved better than what mankind has caused."

"Well, nobody's dead yet," Davis shouted. "This isn't a funeral and we don't intend to turn it into one."

GuardiAngemon responded calmly, "Holy Sword!"

The vaccine flew swiftly at MegaGargomon, slamming into the armored robot and cutting at the Biomerged creature with his two arm blades combining into a large sword of light. In a less well-protected digimon, the speedy attack would be devastating. As it was, the force of the blows was uncomfortable and unrelenting. Henry tried to block some of the strikes as he would in a lesson with his sensei, but for each one he caught, three more connected. JewelBeemon tried to join in to defend the robotic digimon, but couldn't even get close with the whirling stikes. If the powerful mega's attack continued too long, even the heavy protection of MegaGargomon wouldn't be enough.

"Purifying Flame Protection!" a familiar dual-voiced being announced as a wall of blue fire formed in between the two megas.

"Who…?" began GuardiAngemon, turning towards the source of the shield.

Henry felt equally surprised by the fire's appearance, but that shock only increased as he saw the identities of the arrivals. Two impressive angels, one a multi-winged male with a sword and a bow-wielding female, each carried a Digidestined with them. The tamer could identify the pair of ultimates easily as the higher stages of Patamon and Gatomon. Standing with them, surprisingly, were a battered-looking Valkyrimon and Marsmon. Unlike earlier, they showed no signs of aggression towards the humans present. They did seem uncomfortable as their leader turned his attention towards them. Finally, a changed but recognizable fox-like shaman stood in front of the powerful gathered digimon.

"I'm sorry about this, but I think you should listen to what these warriors have to say," Marsmon stated firmly.

"The digimon you found and rescued? We've faced him before and he isn't what you think he is," T.K. explained. "Diaboromon doesn't want to help the digital world or anyone."

"Wait, did you say 'Diaboromon'?" asked JewelBeemon, turning towards the Digidestined of Hope.

"As in 'Armageddemon's' other mega stage?" Flamedramon added, stepping forward.

Ken and Davis exchanged worried glances. Henry mentally wished he'd paid more attention to the show back home. It might have been useful to know what the history of this new player on the field was and what he was capable of. But he was willing to bet it wouldn't be good for them.

* * *

The silence had lasted for a long time before Miko crept out from under the bed. Earlier, strange humans stomped around her territory, peering around her humans' room and even spotted her before losing interest and going back into the main room. Later, large crashes and shouts erupted from the other room, but the feline stayed under her boy's bed until she was certain all of them were gone.

She carefully lifted her nose and breathed deeply. There were no fresh scents from the strangers, but no fresh familiar ones either. She could still pick up the residual traces of the apartment's residents, even while they weren't home. The smell of the tall male, the tall female who smelt of burnt food, and the smaller humans who carried with them the "special" smell of their strange not-humans. The not-humans, the Fire-lizard and the Cat-not-cat, acted like the humans did, but didn't look or smell like them. Still, Miko knew they were family and thus belonged to her.

She knew the not-humans well. She met the first one long ago, when her small female human used a little metal thing to make high-pitched noises. The not-human from those nearly forgotten days had been small, round, and tried to steal her food. She did not tolerate that and scratched the thief. And her small, male human when he got in the way too, but he should have known better than to interfere with _her_. Then, years later when her humans grew taller, the not-human smell appeared all over the city and her humans began keeping these small objects with lots of lightning-smell. Many objects have that lightning-smell, especially things that get warm when her humans use them or make beeping sounds, but it was far fainter than what you get in the air right before a serious lightning storm. Humans use "tamed lightning" for many things, but his smaller humans held lots of "tamed lightning" in the small, round things. Only humans with not-humans have the "strong tamed lighting objects." Now, Miko could find those objects and the not-humans easily since she knew what to search for.

But there were more than one way to find humans with not-humans. Not only did they have the "strong tamed lightning objects," but the "special" smell also stayed on them. The not-humans each had their own unique smell, like how Cat-not-cat smelled almost like another feline, but there was also the underlying faint scent almost like "tamed lightning" and yet different and weaker than that on the warm, talking box thing or other human things. It was the "special" smell that identified them as being not-humans. The smell clung to their humans, like how she rubbed her smell on her possessions and humans so that everyone would know they belonged to Miko. And the not-humans also gained a hint of their humans' scent in return since they spent so much time together. The cat could match the pairs together easily as their smells began to overlap.

Now, her humans, not-humans, and the strangers were gone. The living room was littered with pieces of glass, wall, and some puddle that smelled like the tall female's food. A breeze stirred her fur, gaining access through a hole where the glass door once let the sunlight through to warm her during the day. She could get outside now through the gaping hole, but she wasn't planning to risk encountering a dog right now. Even with the earlier strangers and destruction of the apartment, home was far safer.

As another breeze came in, carrying the sounds and smells of the city to her feline nose, she felt the fur on her back raise up defensively. Something wasn't right. Barely detectable, Miko could feel something wrong, but couldn't identify it. It wasn't a sight, a sound, or smell. It was a feeling of slowly approaching threat, like how she might stalk a mouse. Only she was the mouse in this case, though she couldn't think of what would hunt her. Or was it seeking larger prey? Either way, she didn't like it. Her white and reddish fur puffed out around her until she was twice her size.

Slowly, she stepped out onto what was left of the balcony. Whatever was coming, it was bad. It reminded her of an impossibly strong storm, but one that hunted like a cat. She knew she should stay in her home, where dogs and danger could normally be kept away. But her territory had been invaded, attacked, and was no longer safe. Until she found her humans and not-humans, she would risk the city. Just as long as she stayed away from what was coming.

The cat leapt down to the next balcony carefully, taking time with each pounce. She wasn't getting any younger, after all. These stunts were easier for a feline of two or three rather than one nearly nine years old. Upon reaching the ground level, she took off running along the sidewalk, putting distant between her and a slowly advancing mist that was covering the ground behind her.

* * *

The strange blue fog was spewing out of every computer screen and she knew it was his fault. The blond woman pressed herself against the wall, nursing her numb hand. When the computer started releasing the mist, she'd been trying to hack back into her own system. As soon as the first tendrils of fog touched her hand, it went numb and cold to the touch. She'd been forced away, silently glad that the mist didn't act like normal fog and fill the room. It was taking the shortest path out of the building, moving from the glowing screen to the floor to the window and out. If she was careful, she could avoid it and hope the mist hadn't done any permanent damage to her.

Tamiko Mizutani, brilliant programmer and ex-DADP employee, refused to accept her role as a scape-goat, Diaboromon's puppet, or the damsel in distress trapped in a tower by the deadly monster. She didn't want to be helpless. She could stay here against the wall or she could do something.

Creeping around the stream of blue mist, she moved to the other side of her desk. With a glare at her computer monitor, she ripped the cords free of the wall and the machine. The light erupting from the screen died and the mist stopped emerging. The woman nodded to herself with satisfaction. It was a step in the right direction, but she was nowhere near fixing the problem. She could see other clouds of mist flowing past the doorway and down the hall, emitting from other DADP computers left running by her former co-workers.

"Moronic jerks," she growled under her breath, uncertain if she meant the members of DADP, the digimon currently controlling everything, or herself for being so easily manipulated.

She wrapped the cord up and looped it around her arm. Something told her to be prepared for whatever the digimon might try. Trapped by that strange fog, cut off from any real technology, and unable to feel her left hand, she needed to make use of anything at her disposal. No matter how strange or useless it might at first appear, a creative mind could find a way to use it.

…"**He might be bigger, stronger, smarter, and more deadly than us or anything we've run into before now," the goggle-wearing boy stated, giving every one of the kids and impossible beings a determined look. "But we're creative, adaptive, and too stubborn for our own good. And we can work as a team better than anyone while he's alone. If we've survived all this time on our own, we must be doing something right. If we can survive that little blue pest of Jay's," he jerked a thumb at a small creature that couldn't exist, but she knew that he was as real as the feathery being beside her, "then this creep will be back across the Wall of Fire in no time."**

"**Well, if I'm such a pest," the blue creature sneered, "I guess you don't need my help on the whole 'save everyone from evil' thing. I'll just start taking a few bets on the outcome, Ri…"… **

"No," she hissed, clutching her head in frustration. The memory of the hallucination, shoved back by therapy and medication, was becoming too difficult to forget. It took so long to admit it was only a dream originally, to stop being the "crazy girl" that lost her connection to reality that she couldn't afford to remember and believe that fantasy. She focused on the same statement that she'd always used to keep her mind on the truth, one that she developed based on her therapists' various pieces of advice and explanations. "It isn't real. It was never real. It's just a dream. This is reality. That was a lie. The place, the events, and everyone were fake. It isn't real."

…**She felt tears rolling down her face, "But I don't want to go home. What if we never see each other again?"**

"**I promise," a soft voice whispered. "We'll see each other again. You're my friend, Ta…"…**

…**Her mother shook her head, "You need to stop this. It's been going on for two years now and after that attack the other day, you've gotten worse. There was no 'giant dinosaur' or 'parrot.' I was hoping you would out-grow this… thing, but I think we need to do something more serious about it."**

"**Mom, it was real," she asserted, her stormy-grey eyes flooded with frustrated tears. "I know it was. It wasn't a dream. She promised I'd see her again and…****"**

**"I made you an appointment to see a therapist," the parent stated firmly. "You can't live in this fantasy any longer. This… friend of yours isn't real and isn't coming. It was a dream. He'll help you forget this nonsense and you can get back your life."**

**"I don't want to forget," the girl muttered…**

"It isn't real and never was," she whispered once more.

She glanced between the bottle lying across the room where she tossed it and her desk drawer where she kept those pills next to a very different item. Two objects, both opposing in nature and yet kept close at all times. One used to keep away memories of the hallucination and one that she kept as a sentimental trinket.

She should bring them, though she didn't have the time for her pills to kick in and the other was nothing but an odd toy, likely an electronic game, she couldn't even remember how to use anymore. How many times in her teen years had she tried to throw it away only to go digging through dumpsters to find it again? She couldn't give it up, even if it was useless. And she knew that same instinct meant she needed to take it too.

She pulled open the drawer and picked up the toy. The piece of old technology was rectangular and clunky; the thick object possessed similar dimensions as a deck of playing cards. Three white, square buttons rested below a tiny screen and the whole surface was a light shade of grey. The top held a small space that looked like a port to connect to a computer, but didn't fit any of the usual cords. Likely it was some kind of custom cord to attach between the different toys, but sales must have been pathetic since she never saw another kid playing with it or she might have asked what kind of game it was. She couldn't even recall playing it once. But she _had_ to keep it.

Armed with a length of cord and a useless toy, Tamiko Mizutani finally ventured out into the hallways where the blue mist flowed. If she couldn't hack her way to a solution, she'd take the more direct approach and stop the computers manually. Diaboromon wouldn't succeed if she had anything to say about it.

**Okay, first off, writing as a cat is hard. But kind of interesting as well. And I get to explore a certain aspect. Guilmon is always saying he "smells" a digimon. So, how do digimon, as a group, smell? Well, rather than ask the bread-loving reptile, I had Miko describe it. Plus, I wanted to check on the cat since she was at home during the major destruction. It is little things like that I end up wondering about at random moments. And, while lightning and electricity itself doesn't have a particular smell, it can form ozone briefly until the oxygen atoms return to a more stable form and ozone does have a smell. During lightning storms, you can sometimes smell it, so it makes sense a creature with a more sensitive nose might detect it in electrical appliances like computers or digivices (or creatures that are technically made of data…) in very weak quantities.**

**Some more flashbacks from Tamiko Mizutani, but she's still trying to avoid becoming the "crazy girl" she was considered to be once. Medicine, years of therapy, and anger at her loss is fueling her denial, but that can't last forever. **

**Feedback is the greatest gift of all. Please share the gift. Thanks.**


	43. Bike Battles

**Back in the tamer universe to check in on the insanity there. Things are getting a little tense there and things need to be handled carefully by those involved. And as hard as it might be to write a battle scene normally, it isn't any easier to add a motorcycle to the mix. Hope you like the chapter.**

It was terrifying, fast, and unbelievably insane, but Kazu couldn't help but smile slightly. He was riding Behemoth at high speeds again, weaving through the forest after one of the Dark Masters without his D-arc and Guardromon falling further behind, but things couldn't be more exciting. Takato would have trouble beating his story. He was going to go down in tamer history if he pulled this off.

"This is getting boring," moaned Puppetmon from above the racing vehicle. "Let's try another game. How about tag? I'm 'it'."

With a chillingly-cheerful laugh, the wooden creature leapt down right behind them and swung his hammer at them.

"Puppet Pummel!"

Behemoth gained an extra burst of speed just in time to move out of impact range or else the explosion that accompanied the hammer's blow could have killed Kazu. But the demonic bike didn't stop at simply dodging the attack. It cut its tires sharply and charged at the wooden puppet. The mega blinked in surprise right before the front wheel slammed into him. Puppetmon went sliding across the ground while the sentient vehicle spun around for another attack.

"That's cheating," complained the marionette, climbing swiftly to his feet unharmed.

"Evil bikes make up their own rules," Kazu shouted over the pleased rumbles of the motorcycle. "Now give me that D-arc back."

"Or what?" he asked, pulling his weapon back.

"Guardian Barrage!" cried out the metallic champion, opening fire on the crazed toy. While the explosion were little more than a distraction and annoyance to the mega, it still gave Guardromon an opportunity to fly close with his jetpack and grab his partner's D-arc out of Puppetmon's grip. "Or we shall take back what you stole _by force_. That is 'what'."

"Not bad," grinned the boy from his position on the demonic motorcycle. "And that was your own material. I'm proud of you."

"Puppet Pummel!" the wooden being shouted, swinging at the boy's partner. Luckily, Guardromon managed to move slightly to the left of the oversized mallet trajectory, resulting in the puppet destroying the trunk of a tree instead of a digimon. "Hold still. I need to smash you now."

"Perhaps pulling back to a safer position would be advisable," the champion suggested as he eyed the smoldering remains of vegetation uneasily. "At least until we can form a proper counterstrike."

Kazu began to reply, but the sentient motorcycle sped towards the deadly living toy at full-speed once more. Puppetmon planted his feet in preparation for the impact that Behemoth would cause. The marionette widened his eyes in shock as the bike pulled up short, turning so it was sliding sideways at the mega. The action flung dirt, broken branches, and leaves on him, leaving the viral mega sputtering and blinded by debris. The demonic motorcycle then pulled back up-right, turned abruptly enough that its back tire side-swiped the wooden digimon, and swerved closer to the champion robot. All of this was accomplished without unseating the once-again petrified, but strangely happy tamer.

"That was insane," he gasped, staring down at the handlebars. "But cool. Please never do that again."

"Kazu, here," began Guardromon, reaching out to hand him the brown-ringed D-arc, but a furious voice interrupted.

"Flying Cross Cutter!" announced the puppet, throwing the wooden cross from his back like a boomerang, spinning swiftly through the air at their heads.

"Move," shouted Kazu, yanked his hand away to grab the bike again.

It wasn't clear who the order was directed towards, Guardromon or Behemoth, but both responded. The coppery champion, still holding his partner's device, fired his jets and propelled himself behind another tree. The bike launched itself forward once more, actually performing a wheelie as it weaved through the forest as the wooden projectile followed.

"If you want to play dirty," Puppetmon sneered, brushing some of the dirt off his shoulder, "so can I." He raised and caught the returning cross. "Let's get even rougher. All my nice new toys are about to break."

"Kazu," called the robotic digimon. "We must fall back."

The boy, clinging to the demonic vehicle currently circling around for another strike closed his eyes and hissed, "Behemoth, we're going to get creamed without a strategy and my D-arc. Stop provoking the evil puppet and get me close to Guardromon. Then, we can stomp him properly."

With a confirming roar of the engine, the motorcycle adjusted its direction slightly. While still bringing them closer to the dangerous mega, the new trajectory provided more coverage and brought the tamer within arm reach of his partner once more. With far better hand-eye coordination than he generally exhibited in normal life, Kazu snatched his D-arc while the bike continued at high speed.

"Yes," he grinned. "Perfect timing. Now, to level the playing field."

Though neither of them had attempted this particular trick since they lost Ryo, the boy and champion could vividly remember the unbelievable power they could obtain. This time, there was no Calumon to help them reach that final step. It would be completely and utterly their accomplishment. It was the final proof of their partnership and how powerful their bond was.

And it was the coolest trick in the entire taming package.

"Guardromon Biomerge to… HiAndromon!"

Replacing the bulky metallic champion and the hat-wearing youth was the tall, dark metal, robotic figure of the Biomerged mega. A pale face barely peeked out from under the helmet that covered most of his head besides his mouth. On his shoulders were a pair of red and blue objects shaped like miniature heads, but served a greater purpose than simple decoration. His fingertips ended in sharp points and they were currently wrapped around the handlebars of Behemoth. By some stroke of luck, the act of combining together still resulted in HiAndromon riding the sentient vehicle.

"We need more space," the dual-voiced being stated. "If we can get enough room to maneuver, then we can have Behemoth pull off his insane stunts properly without worrying about crashing."

Acting on the mega's suggestion, the demonic bike chose another direction. This time, it raced _away_ from Puppetmon. The wooden virus' jaw dropped as his opponents fled him.

"Get back here," he shouted, swinging his hammer in the air. "I'm not finished with you."

Running after the robotic digimon and sentient vehicle, he continued to shout after them about how he intended to 'flatten them, ker-splat." Within his mental sphere, Kazu took a calming breath. As terrifying as the bike's idea of assault might be, it was fairly effective in the right circumstances. And now that he was a mega, he could do more than cling to the motorcycle and try not to scream in fear and excitement.

"You know, Guardromon," the boy mumbled to his other half as the mega glanced over his shoulder at the pursuing Puppetmon, "now that I know Behemoth won't necessarily kill me, this is kind of fun. Like the craziest roller coaster ever."

"Perhaps this reflection on the entertainment value of its driving ability could be postponed until our opponent is defeated," his partner suggested.

"Flying Cross Cutter!" announced the wooden mega.

* * *

As before, the journey through the lightless cave was completed as quickly as possible, though Justimon was able to navigate the gloomy depths even without the rookie's instruction. DemiDevimon still acted as helpful as when he first met the human and digimon, but the bat seemed to have become more and more suspicious in the mega's view. If it wasn't for the fact that the virus still seemed to hold the answers they so desperately needed about the past, the Biomerged vaccine would have left him behind.

"Even if none of these digimon we've faced seems innocent or harmless," Ryo muttered from within his mental bubble to his partner, "something is off about all of this. He says that he needs this power to face those traitors who killed us, but he hasn't told us much else about them. Obviously, we'll be facing them eventually, but all we know is that they're humans with digimon like us and that they're dangerous. DemiDevimon has told us more about Puppetmon and his other targets. At least we know their names."

"Doesn't want to distract us?" his partner growled as a suggestion, not nearly as concerned.

"Maybe, but what if it is more than that?" It's almost like gaining power is his main goal rather than gaining justice for what's happened to us. What if… he's just using us and everything is a lie?"

"Not everything," the digimon pointed out gruffly.

The boy considered for a moment, "No, maybe not everything is a lie. Some of my memories seem to match. I _did_ know others. I knew humans with digimon partners once. And we once lived in a world far from Floramon's village. Even the fact DemiDevimon knew us before all of this happened seems true considering everything that he knows. But he's hiding something. Even Destiny said so. Something about Devimon…"

Their inner conversation came to an end as the mega and rookie reached the cave entrance. A smile formed on the tamer's face, even if Justimon couldn't display one. There was nothing as comforting as the familiar sight of the forest level, their home plane.

**The tall buildings, pedestrians, and rush hour traffic greeted his eyes. It was an extreme contrast to the world he'd just left, but it was still familiar to him. The similarly-shaped inhabitants of this world, humans, were everywhere here and he just seemed to belong. This was the kind of world he'd lived in most of his life and he was happy to return.**

**There's no place like home.**

The moment of reflection was swiftly interrupted by a distant rumbling and far-off explosions. While the noises of destruction were growing increasingly common in their lives, the other sound was harder to name. After a moment's consideration, Ryo's slowly-returning memories offered an identity to the rumbling.

"Is that a motorcycle?"

DemiDevimon frowned for a second before firmly declaring, "Follow that bike engine."

* * *

It was a dangerous risk. There was no guarantee that the distant sounds of battle and a motorcycle would be connected to Puppetmon. In fact, destruction and combat were far too common an occurrence in the digital world. But DemiDevimon had a feeling it would serve him well to go there. If nothing else, it was better than admitting he was less certain about locating the viral mega than the others. Puppetmon tended to travel more in search of new "playmates" than the others. Still, he needed that digimon's help. Or at least his data.

The rookie could feel all that excess data he'd absorbed. With so many high-level digimon in such a short time period, he could easily digivolve to a far more powerful form. And he would do so. But only when he completed the collection. By combining himself with Vilemon, Myotismon, LadyDevimon, SkullSatamon, and Puppetmon, he would become one of the most powerful digimon.

And that Destiny girl even said so. "The bat shall become the End." Thus, he could risk a long-shot like chasing after a bike. Even the final words of the skeletal ultimate couldn't dampen his confidence. Or the fact that his two "allies" could recall their past at any time and remember who actually killed them. All he really needed was to keep them occupied just a little longer. After they finished with this last victim, it wouldn't matter. But he would have to keep their minds on current events and off potentially problematic memories.

Luck was apparently with the viral bat. As he and his pet mega burst into a large clearing, one that bore the signs of previous occupation and fire damage, they managed to catch sight of the individuals causing all the noise before they spotted the new arrivals. One was, by a miracle that DemiDevimon could scarcely believe, the wooden figure of Puppetmon. The high-level virus seemed to be chasing the motorcycle they'd heard earlier. Riding the bike, however, was a familiar digimon the bat had never expected to be present.

"Puppetmon and HiAndromon," he growled.

"Who is HiAndromon?" asked Justimon.

"One of the traitors," lied the rookie. "He is Biomerged like you are. He was one of those heartless monsters who killed you both. With his lying tongue, he came close enough to attack you unexpectedly. Listen carefully. You need to take him and the other digimon out quickly, ignoring whatever lies he tries. He'll speak of 'friendship; and 'teams,' but it is just a ploy."

With hidden eyes, the vaccine seemed to be staring at him. DemiDevimon kept his expression sincere and trustworthy, hoping he hadn't lost his influence on the pair. If Justimon should turn on him, the bat would be helpless.

Finally, the mega nodded towards the yellow-eyed digimon, agreeing to the rookie's advice. Justimon then leapt into the air, his featureless face focused on the unsuspecting fighting creatures. DemiDevimon allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"Suckers," he muttered cruelly.

* * *

The metallic mega weighed more than a terrified tamer, but it didn't slow Behemoth down much. As swiftly as possible, it found a clearing to serve as a battleground for it and HiAndromon against the living puppet. The fact the chosen location exhibited clear evidence of past destruction was merely a cheerful bonus for the bike. It could easily smash through the fire-weakened walls of the lost village without losing speed, allowing plenty of collateral damage while the digimon riding on it fired back at the viral mega. All the bike had to be careful of was keeping the mega balanced when he let go to unleash his attack.

"Atomic Ray!" he shouted, energy forming above the two turbines on his shoulders before he combined them in his hands and firing it as a beam at the pursuer.

Unfortunately, Puppetmon dodged the attack and retaliated with a cry of "Flying Cross Cutter!"

Behemoth turned sharply left as the wooden shape flew towards them again, vanishing into the empty shell of a building. It would have smiled at the marionette's frustration, but the motorcycle lacked a face. While it wasn't as fun as terrorizing a village or running rampant with Beelzemon, tormenting the wooden being was still an interesting experience.

With an extra burst of speed, it broke through another wall and slammed against the viral mega on the other side. Stumbling forward, Puppetmon caught himself and tried to swing his mallet at the bike before he was out of range again. The robotic digimon leaned sideways with the motorcycle, resulting in the hammer finding nothing but open air in its path.

Unfortunately, both the digimon and the sentient bike were too focused on their known opponent to react before another being joined the fight.

"Thunderclap!" a silvery digimon announced as he slammed his hand to the ground, shockwaves radiating out and slamming Puppetmon, Behemoth, and HiAndromon away from the epicenter.

After tumbling across the ground like a leaf in a tornado, the bike came to rest not far from its passenger. The sentient vehicle remained still, trying to determine what exactly had just occurred and if he was about to suffer another "Gallantmon scenario" where the battle suddenly switched from an obvious victory to a crushing defeat. The mega moaned slightly and began to climb upright after a moment. Behemoth gave a soft rumble, surprising itself with its mild concern for the Biomerged creature. HiAndromon gave a slight wave, indicating he was unharmed, before spying his attacker and freezing.

"Justimon?"

**Sorry the chapter is kind of short, but this is the perfect place to stop for now. You knew that this was coming. Kazu vs. the Legendary Tamer. HiAndromon vs. Justimon. And Puppetmon is still there too. Will they get through to Ryo in time or will he remain DemiDevimon's puppet until it is too late? What is the bat's plan? Will Yamaki, Suzie, and the others get there in time to help? And will I ever run out of odd questions? Find out as more is revealed in the future.**

**Reviews are the best things to give a writer. Don't be greedy. Share with me.**


	44. Summoning the Troops

**Sorry my updates are no longer as quick as they once were, but they should begin to pick up speed soon enough (at least in theory). Events are really picking up, but I also have more characters to address now. You'll see what I mean and I hope you enjoy this chapter. As stated before, the original DigiDestined, Entomon, and a few other characters I've named in the past are my creation. They can be borrowed with permission and people with drawing skills are welcome to recreate any of my inventions, as long as I can view the finished product.**

Standing right outside of the school was a collection of adults and strange characters. The largest was a large, purple fox with orange fire flickering around her feet and the tips of her nine tails. Sitting on her back, his hands gripping the grayish-blue and white rope that was tied around her neck, was a young man with reddish-blond hair, glasses, and a navy-blue polo shirt. Next to them, a black-haired teenager in an unnervingly dark outfit stared at the younger group. The nearly-grown boy held a blue digimon with large wing-like ears. On the other side of the large kitsune, a red-haired man in a hat, jeans, and t-shirt grinned cheerfully with an insectoid creature similar to the one currently standing near Guilmon. Finally, a man with sandy-brown hair that struggled to escape from the far-too-tight pair of green goggles stood in front of the group with a round, pink shape that any of the Digidestined would instantly recognize as Koromon in his arms. He seemed the most out of place of them, dressed in a very professional suit with the goggles, but he also seemed the most confident.

"Let me introduce you to the original DigiDestined," remarked Destiny. "Or at least, most of them." She'd followed the group outside in a calmer manner than the others. "Riku and Koromon. Jay and Tsukaimon. Ren and Youkomon. And this is Hiro and Entomon."

"This is what counts as a digidestined now?" remarked the blue Patamon-like creature. "Standards have really fallen."

"Well, you're not that impressive either," Impmon retaliated. "You're a flying pig with the human boy with an obsession with black and spikes. It takes skill to pull that kind of look off, and that kid just looks depressing."

"I'm not…" began Tsukaimon, but his partner interrupted.

"Already causing problems? I would have thought you'd have matured in the years since I last saw you. Too much to hope for, I guess."

"Wow, the kid's grown a backbone. What happened to the little wimp I could push around properly?"

"Hey, Tai-Tai," called the pink in-training. "I found Riku. We're back together and ready to save the world again."

The spiky-haired youth smiled in amusement at the first digimon he'd ever encountered, "That's great, but I've been meaning to tell you something. My name's Tai. Not Tai-Tai. And my sister is Kari."

Koromon blinked, "It is? Oh…"

"I heard you took care of my partner for a while," the goggle-wearing man commented. "So, thanks a lot for that. Even if he was a bit problematic as he gets bigger."

Tai nodded, "If it wasn't for meeting him, I'd never met my own partner, Agumon."

"Nice to meet all of you," Jeri greeted, shaking Ren's hand gently.

The reddish-blond man, still seated on the violet vulpine digimon, corrected, "Actually, this isn't all of us. Tammy isn't here. When the girl," he pointed at Destiny, "said she was 'still lost and trapped by lies,' her partner took off to find her. We should have followed, but she said our place is here."

"Guys, there's some kind of weird fog starting to cover the city," shouted Izzy as he ran out of the school, wires still dangling from his laptop due to his rush. He paused momentarily, stunned by the new faces standing outside, but his urgent news forced him to continue, "The reports say anyone coming into contact with it suffers from extreme fatigue, numb limbs, or even pass out completely. No one knows what it might be, but there are theories ranging from terrorist attack to government experiment accidentally released to alien invasion. My theory is this is the work of Diaboromon using Guardian. We need to warn everyone before they try sending in a clean-up crew or hazard team or even the army there to try and handle it. If the blue mist _is_ Guardian, they'll be killed."

"You can't send a mass e-mail to the whole city and hope they check their mailbox in time," pointed out Tentomon.

"Even if most people will try to evacuate the area after that kind of news alert," Hiro remarked, "you're right about needing to let people know what they're facing."

"Mr. Ishida," Agumon suggested suddenly. "He works at the T.V. station. Ask him to broadcast a warning. Can we call them?"

"Better yet," grinned Ren. "Climb on. Youkomon and I'll get you there fast and you can explain in person."

Izzy nodded after a moment and pulled himself on to the back of the champion, "By the way, I'm Izzy and my partner's Tentomon."

"Well, hang on tightly, Izzy," he answered. "I may not look like one now, but I was a bit of a speed demon as a kid."

"Let's see if we can break our record," chuckled the quadruped fox before breaking into a run, Tentomon taking flight after them.

Turning back towards the others, Riku added, "And I guess we'll head towards the source of the problem."

* * *

As soon as Willis hit the send button and launched the forwarded e-mail into cyberspace, complete with his detailed suspicions that Izzy could take into account when examining the message, he realized something had been missing for almost a minute. His room was silent beyond the soft hum of the computer. The snoring and off-key humming of his sleeping partners no longer came from behind him.

The blond boy turned slightly. Both of the rabbit twins were staring at his screen, concern clearly evident in their dark eyes. The digidestined didn't even have to ask whether or not they'd read the e-mail he'd just forwarded. Likely, his earlier stroke on Lopmon had awakened him.

"Willis, we have to help them," whispered Terriermon.

He shook his head,"I warned them at least. And they're all the way on the other side of the world. Even if we grabbed a red-eye flight right this second, we have no guarantee of getting there fast enough to help."

"But it's our fault," muttered the brown and pink rookie hesitantly.

"No," the boy stated firmly. "Diaboromon, the virus, or anything to do with it? Neither one of you are at fault. You have absolutely nothing to do with what's happening in Japan. You aren't involved with what's after the Digidestined."

"Or you? He wants you too," reminded Terriermon.

He shook his head, "I'll always be involved somehow. It was a mistake, but that thing will still be my responsibility. If it comes after me, so be it. But I won't let you get caught up again."

His partners exchanged glances, their expressions illuminated by the harsh glow from the computer. They were twin brothers with extremely different personalities and life experiences. In most cases, they would end up with nearly opposite opinions on a topic, though Lopmon would usually demur to his now-older brother sibling. But the pair was clearly united in the current belief: Willis was making a mistake.

"Aren't those digidestined your friends?" asked the brown rabbit.

"Yes, but…" he began to explain.

"And friends are always there for each other," interrupted Terriermon. "They helped you and we saved my brother. We have to help them now."

"… I just don't… want to lose you," the boy finally admitted softly. "That virus, the one who corrupted Diaboromon, turned Lopmon into a monster once. I couldn't stand it if either of you were hurt by my actions again."

"But if we don't try, _others_ could be hurt," reminded the brown rookie. "I spent too many years powerless and unable to help anyone. Don't make me powerless again, Willis. Let me fight back this time."

The blond boy stared at his shy, nervous, little partner. He didn't like to talk about being tainted and controlled by the virus. It was a sensitive topic for all three of them. But Lopmon had raised the subject this time and actually looked fairly confident. Confident and pleading. He really wanted to risk facing the monster again.

He'd failed so many times in the past. Not only did he create the digi-egg on the computer that spawned this entire nightmare to begin with, he'd allowed it to take his partner prisoner, which led to the twins battling repeatedly over the years and for Terriermon to eventually help cause his brother's death. Those memories, those failures, would stay with them forever. After all of this, he owed the two rabbits too much to fail again. He _had_ to do the right thing.

Willis grabbed his digivice from the desk, scribbled a quick note to his mother about attending an astronomy class trip, and scooped up his partners. Both rabbits grinned at him from their new location on his shoulders.

"Do we have enough money for a flight?" Terriermon asked.

"We're not taking a plane," the digidestined hurriedly explained. "I'm going to take a short-cut. But if we're going to Japan, I think I know someone who needs to come too."

* * *

The blond teenager gently strummed his bass strings, not really focusing on the sounds produced. Instead, his mind was miles away and years in the past. Specifically, it was reflecting on the changing relationship between him, a girl with hair of an elusive shade of reddish-brown, and a brunette boy who once bore a pair of goggles at all times.

Matt remembered back to the days when he kept his distance from everyone, even his younger brother while still trying to be somewhat protective of his younger sibling. He wouldn't open to anyone and was considered "the loner" by all his peers. But on that snowy day in August, his life spun in a whole new direction. By the time he made it home from the digital world, the anti-social youth could claim a partner and a highly diverse assortment of kids and digimon as his friends.

Still, the most shocking change was how his closest human friend was Tai, the boy who he'd spent the most time fighting with during the entire time they spent in the digital world. It didn't necessarily make sense, but they somehow managed to overcome every argument from the most pointless to the seemingly unsolvable. Now, the rougher edges of their relationship had shimmered down to a friendly rivalry rather than an insatiable blood feud of epic proportions.

Sora, on the other hand, was always closer to Tai than him back in the old days. While the spiky-haired boy's plans were rash and Matt sometimes wondered if he cared at all about anyone's safety, he couldn't deny that Tai truly cared about the Digidestined of Love. Anyone with eyes could have seen the sparks between the pair back in the old days.

But nothing beyond those sparks ever materialized. In the years since they first set foot in the digital world, Sora and Tai never progressed beyond the closest of friends with the occasional moment suggesting deeper emotions. Matt's relationship with her, on the other hand, did evolve and grow. At Christmas time, it became clear that she wanted to be more than just friends. She wanted to have deeper relationship with someone. On the one hand, he knew she would have wanted that type of relationship with Tai once. But, something prevented her or the Digidestined of Courage from trying to form that kind of bond. So she'd reached out to another. Matt knew that could, in theory, make him like a "back-up boyfriend," but she _did_ like him. She was such a caring person, which made sense considering her crest. She cared for others deeply and protected those she loved. He could tell she loved him and he could accept it. If he wanted some girl who simply worshipped the ground he walked on and was completely devoted to him, he had fans that would do just that. Including, at one point, Davis' sister, Jun. But Sora knew exactly who he was, beyond "that guy in the band," and she knew and accepted every flaw that made him Matt Ishida, Digidestined of Friendship. If Sora thought she could be happy with him, the blond teenager was happy to be with her. And if she and Tai should ever begin to rekindle their old feelings… he knew that he would stand aside and let them be together. It was more important that they all be able to remain friends than to argue how those bonds were arranged. But he would pound the brunette teenager if he broke her heart.

His parents had divorced when he was far younger. The fact he was able to reach out to anyone proved that his time in the digital world had changed him for the better. He could have grown to be far more cynical and be completely disillusioned with the idea of love. Since he was able to have a girlfriend at all, it meant his old "loner" persona was truly gone. Did it matter if Sora was with him or Tai? They were both his friends and, as long as they stayed close, it didn't matter what the label for their relationship ended up being.

Briefly, a small thought in the back of his mind presented itself to him. His close friendship with Tai wasn't as close as it once was. Between the band and his developing romantic relationship with the Digidestined of Love, he'd not been seeing as much of the spiky-haired boy as he once did. There were only so many hours in a day and life was busy now. Still, he was the Digidestined of Friendship. If he couldn't make time for his best friend, then what kind of friend was he? After this concert, he needed to find an opportunity to spend some time with Tai. It was summer, after all. This was a time to hang out with your friends and goof off. Maybe they could go watch a soccer game and listen to the spiky-haired youth complain about how he could beat the opposing team with his eyes closed.

Matt smiled briefly, gaining an inquiring look from Gabumon. Currently, the partners were in a cheap hotel room, waiting for the Teenage-Wolves' performance. The band's popularity had grown to a point where they would have concerts out of town and they would rent a few hotel rooms for the group. Regardless of the anti-digimon sentiment growing around them, or maybe because of it, the blond teenage insisted his partner stayed with him while away from home. It was easier to protect the rookie from the stupid prejudices of ignorant people if he had Gabumon with him. Besides, the fact he was a Digidestined never seemed to bother his audience, including love-sick girls like how Jun once was, which led Matt to believe that his band's music tended to appeal to more open-minded individuals.

Setting down his instrument, Matt glanced over at the furry figure perched on the bed near him, "Want to see if there's anything on T.V. worth watching, Gabumon? We have half an hour until our warm up rehearsal."

"As long as it isn't another silly game show," he shrugged.

The blond boy reached for the remote and flicked the machine on. The screen lit up to reveal a man in a very professional suit and perfect hair. Matt automatically identified the program as some kind of news report. He prepared to change the channel, but something the announcer said caught the teenager's attention.

"…unexplained blue mist is spreading across Odaiba at an alarming rate. This mist does not appear to obey any meteorological rules concerning its behavior, moving unhindered by terrain or wind direction. There have been news of power outages accompanying the mist's movements, limiting our ability to learn of any events taking place within the areas already covered. Furthermore, we are receiving numerous reports of people suffering negative reactions from contact with the mist. These reactions are ranging from mild fatigue to loss of sensation of the limbs to loss of consciousness. Reports of possible fatalities are as yet unconfirmed. Officials say to remain calm and avoid approaching the mist if at all possible. While no official order for evacuation has been issued, the roads have become packed since news of this event leaked onto the internet prior to this report. Stay tuned to this station as more information becomes availa-_hey_!"

The calm demeanor of the news reporter was shattered as a reddish-brown haired teenage boy and a red-shelled insectoid digimon ran into view. Matt felt his jaw drop at the arrival of Izzy and Tentomon on the program, quickly followed by some off-screen shouts for them to get off the set. The Digidestined of Knowledge turned to face the camera and addressed the viewers.

"Attention, everyone currently watching. This 'blue mist' is far more hazardous than you believe. It isn't a weather phenomenon, chemical weapon, or any of the hundred theories that are currently being circulated on the internet. It is a physical manifestation of a complex digital defense program created by a group called the Digital Anomaly Detection and Processing and it was hacked into and activated by…"

"Keep it simple, Izzy," shouted an off-screen voice Matt recognized as his father's.

"Fine, how's this? A government group created a weapon against digimon and now it's being used against humans instead, thanks to an artificially-created, virus-corrupted digimon named Diaboromon. That weapon, Guardian, will kill you if you go near it," he explained, raising his voice to be heard over the complaining news reporter and voices that Matt was willing to bet were security or the camera crew. "You have to understand how dangerous this program could be to you. I wouldn't have ridden across the city on a giant fox at high speed if this wasn't serious. You have to get away from it now. Don't wait for an official evacuation order."

"Time to go," Matt's father called from off-screen. "They're calling for more security and the door won't hold for long."

"Thank you for listening and now we'll return you to your regularly scheduled program," finished Tentomon before the pair moved quickly out of view.

Matt turned to face his partner. If they weren't who they were, the question of whether the concert and his responsibilities to it should out-weigh the simple idea to abandon his band mates to dash back home to provide unrequested help would have appeared in their minds. A normal teenage boy might wonder if his career and fame should take precedent over some old friends who could possibly handle events alone. After all, no one called the hotel to ask for them to return.

But Matt and Gabumon didn't even bother with the insane concept of staying away when their friends were in danger. The Digidestined grabbed his digivice, cell phone, and hotel card key. He'd give the key to one of the band members, like Akira, on his way out and ask them to bring his stuff back home later. While the fans would be disappointed by the abrupt cancellation, some things take precedent over his music career. And while he hoped the band could forgive him, Matt would pick the life and friendship he'd gained as a Digidestined every time.

* * *

When a blond boy with two rabbit-like creatures on his shoulder appears on your doorstep at 1:15 am and asks to see your daughter and a computer immediately, you don't necessarily respond that quickly or coherently. While the Tachikawa family had lived in "the city that never sleeps" for quite a while, they did tend to retire early compared to many of the New York inhabitants. Only their daughter might stay out on occasion when some new clothing trend is being revealed at a fashion show or a midnight premiere of a romantic movie. Though her bubbly personality and mainstream outfits might suggest otherwise, she wasn't a real party girl. Thus, Willis pounding on the door at this hour caused the adults to stumble out of bed.

"Why do you need to see Mimi? It's the middle of the night," the bleary-eyed mother asked, her normally fashionable pink hair flat and limp against her head.

"Because there's a problem half a world away," answered Willis. "She'll want to be there."

A pair of head poked around the door, looking at the boy and rabbits standing outside the apartment. One was a brunette teenager in pink pajamas. The blond youth knew that her clothes and hair changed regularly, including a phase where her hair had been cotton-candy pink with stars in their strands. The other head was green with large, black eyes and a pink flower on top. After the events in Colorado, Willis began to reach out to his fellow digidestined and, other than his numerous electronic communications with Izzy, Mimi and Palmon were the older Digidestined he knew the best.

"What's going on?" the girl asked. "Isn't it a little late for a visit? I'm not exactly dressed for company. And I haven't even fixed my hair yet."

"Mimi, there's a problem," Willis quickly explained. "I believe Diaboromon is back and he's after our friends in Japan. I'm going to go help. And since you're part of their team and the ultimate commuter…"

"Oh…" she blinked. After a moment, she glanced over at her two parents and gave them a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. Palmon and I'll take care of this. It should just be a quick trip. No more dangerous than hunting down a blouse at a sale at Bloomingdale's. Go back to sleep."

Neither adult seemed completely convinced by her words, but they slowly left the children and digimon alone. Before closing their bedroom door, her father gave her one final look.

"Please be careful."

As soon as her parents were gone, Mimi grabbed her shoes from beside the door and led Willis, Terriermon, and Lopmon to her room. Various shades of pink assaulted her eyes on arrival. A bunk bed, obviously shared with her vegetative partner, bore an army of stuffed animals on its fuchsia comforter. Cut-outs from various fashion magazines lined he coral walls. On her desk, next to a collection of make-up and hairstyling products, was a computer. It wasn't the most high-tech model on the market, but it would serve their purpose.

After the events of New Year's, both Willis and Izzy had been working on a far more efficient way to move digidestined than to simply fly around the world at high speed. One theory was to travel through a digi-port into the digital world and exit through a digi-port into another part of the human world. The main problem with this idea was the fact that digi-ports tended to return you to the same computer you entered from. This idea, a side-project to their main efforts to catalog new digidestined, eventually produced limited success. By linking two computers with a very complicated program and synchronizing their servers, it was possible to enter from America and exit in Japan, only stopping in the digital world briefly. Of course, this kind of freedom of travel would give border guards fits. Not to mention put all the airports out of business. They couldn't just let everyone know about it, even if it was just the other digidestined, without risking it falling into the wrong hands, but they wanted to still put it to use. So, in order to test this program and limit its influences, Izzy shared a very user-friendly version with only one person; the digidestined who spent the most time traveling between two distant countries and wouldn't be able to share the program's secret anyway.

"Okay, so click the little airplane icon to activate it," she muttered softly, dragging her mouse across the screen. "And we'll end up at Izzy's house. And hopefully Michael and the others can handle things if anything goes wrong here."

"Isn't it strange that he set it up so you travel between _your_ bedroom and his," Willis teased.

"I'd get strange looks if I popped out of computers at a library or at their school. This is less obvious. Besides, it's Izzy. If it isn't high-tech and complicated, he barely notices its existence," the Digidestined of Sincerity responded.

"Anyway, Mimi still takes a plane half the time," pointed out Palmon. "People get upset when nice girls from other countries arrive without going through customs and stuff like that."

"Still, it's nice seeing my friends more regularly without spending hours on an airplane and spending all that money I could be using on shopping when I get there. Even if I can't tell anyone how I'm getting there so fast," the brunette finished as her computer screen switched to display a digi-port. Once, it would have required a D-3 to activate one. But, the barrier was far more permeable now that so many digimon are arriving to join their human partner. Now, it only took a little knowledge of how to find one and a digivice to gain access. "But this isn't a trip for fun."

Terriermon grinned slightly, "But it'll be nice to see more of the human world again. Since our trip to Colorado, we've barely left New York beyond an occasional visit to the digital world for some reason or another. And now we're headed for Japan. Road trip!"

* * *

_The first part of his plan was working. The simple form of Guardian flowed easily across the city. But, just as he did when he sent the numerous Kuramon into the world in the past, he had bigger plans for the simple blue mist._

_Briefly, Diaboromon wondered how much of his personality was the virus and how much was him. Obviously, they weren't indistinguishable and indivisible since it was only the virus that possessed Kokomon. That was why his memories of that time period were fuzzy. Only a portion of him existed at that time. Who was in control: virus or digimon?_

_The mega simply shoved the question aside. It didn't matter anyway. The virus gave him far more advantages than a normal digimon would ever have. He was more powerful than normal digimon at the same level. He digivolved quickly, shifting through the levels like a virus mutating to overcome an anti-virus program. He was durable and adaptive. Diaboromon learned different tactics of attack easily, going from his original direct assault to more infiltrative and elaborate strategies. He could manipulate programming and alter its purpose. But, best of all, he could multiply into numerous clones._

_With a shift of concentration, he activated the next stage of his plan. Part of the blue mist began to solidify into a familiar shape. Several copies of that shape. Each one matched the shade of blue of the mist they emerged from. Each one possessed the potential to grow in power and they remained unharmed by the draining effect of Guardian. In fact, they drew power from the program. The shapes could easily be described as being a contact lens crossed with a jellyfish._

_Diaboromon silently ordered his Kuramon to go forth and spread the influence of Guardian. They would eventually digivolve into more deadly forms and help subdue any resistance the humans and digimon might eventually raise. If he created these obedient clones now, they would be at full power when he turned his attention on the digital world. Besides, his Guardian-enhanced creations would be far superior to any regular digimon. Everything would be destroyed._

**Okay, I originally considered showing Izzy's ride across the city and him convincing Mr. Ishida to help him at the television station, but I think that combining it with Matt's viewpoint somehow works out better. And, yes, I am bringing it some more of the Digidestined to the fight. Including Mimi and Willis all the way from America. Having Willis and the twins present just seems right. Finally, the Guardian program and Diaboromon are far more deadly than they at first appeared, aren't they? **

**Feedback is the nicest way to keep the chapters coming. Or you could pay me… No? Alright. I'll settle for a review.**


	45. Dividing Further

**Blame this delay on being on vacation last week and unable to reach a computer. I tried to write some, however. Hope you like it. While I do not own Digimon, any of the seasons, or most of the characters, I did invent a few of the characters (human and digimon). I've already named several of them, so I won't do it again until I show more new guys. I also devised the tamer's crests and designs. As I've stated before as well, you may borrow my ideas as long as you ask first and give me credit. Now, back to the story.**

As they moved closer to the spreading Guardian program, the more signs of chaos and fear became evident. Cars packed the streets to a greater degree than was normal for that time of day, all moving away from the same epicenter. People rushed by on foot, parents clasping their family close as they shoved past the large group of digidestined, tamers, and digimon in their hurry. The fact no one gave them a second look was proof of how distracted they truly were.

"Okay, this is creeping me out," muttered Hiro. "Shouldn't someone be staring at the dinosaur, large insect, and other assorted digimon? How bad is this Guardian thing?"

"If it ends up being like the D-reaper, very bad," Takato responded.

"I hope Izzy and the others made it to the television station without any problems," Tai whispered, glancing at his partner.

Riku grinned, "You haven't seen Ren and Youkomon move before, have you? They're fast, agile, and would always pull off the most insane stunts. Traffic won't stop them, though a few cars might gain some large fox's footprints on the roofs."

"Are we talking about the same guy? The skinny guy with glasses? _He's_ supposed to be some kind of daredevil?" asked Impmon skeptically.

"Don't judge him by his appearance," warned the adult Goggle-head. "We may have grown up, but we're still the same people that we were years ago. We've just… added more experiences and added layers to our personality. Under all that 'businessman' exterior, the old Ren is still there."

"Which means that Jay is still the wimpy pushover under all this new attitude," Tsukaimon snickered.

"I don't mean we can't change and grow," Riku clarified. "I mean the basic traits that we like about a person are never really lost. They can just get buried under new developments until something brings them out again."

"Like Takato will always be a 'crazy Goggle-head with less common sense than a Numemon' and Guilmon will always be a 'bottomless pit who'll fall for anything'?" asked Mako innocently. "That's what Impmon calls them."

Hiro shrugged, "Don't know them well enough to judge, but I guess so."

"Trust me, that's a perfect description of the pair," Impmon grinned.

Before the tamer or red rookie could try to defend themselves from the virus' description, the group rounded the next corner and finally caught sight of the infamous blue mist. Every detail of the fog was unnatural, starting with the color. Normal mists, or even the digital fields the tamers knew from back home and had described to the others somewhat during the last two days, would range from white to a large array of grey hues. It was a bright shade of blue that did not normal occur in nature beyond the most flamboyant flora. It was a color that would be more likely to be seen in the man-made products of the world, like the insanely-sweet and artificially-flavored candy that would send children into hyper mode or the glowing shade of certain neon signs. Or even the troublesome color that overtook a computer suffering from "the Blue Screen of Death." Even more concerning was how moved. It slid across the ground swiftly until it reached a building or vehicle. Then, the fog climbed up the surface and consumed it. The skyscrapers ahead of them were covered in blue mist, but the shapes could still be made out. It looked like a giant blue blanket had been tossed on top of a rough surface; the rises and dips of the landscape could still be identified, but the covered object was concealed.

"Spread out," Destiny instructed. "Help those you encounter and work your way inside. Guardian is deadly, but it can be affected by the attacks of digimon. Use that knowledge to get to your goal. There will be others struggling against the enemy, but the mist holds secrets as well."

"Wait, you want us to split up further?" asked Takato. "Doesn't splitting up lead to everyone getting eaten or killed in movies?"

The dark-haired prophetess remarked, "The dangerous effects of the program are spreading across the city, threatening innocent people. They need help and, in order to protect the largest number of lives, you must divide your forces to cover a greater area."

"You're leaving again," Jeri frowned.

She nodded, "Yes. But only to open the way for the last of the allies. Diaboromon has made more enemies than just those in the human world." Holding out her crystalline D-arc, she created a colorful portal. "I'll return soon. Before I leave, I have one last piece of information to impart at this time: 'one who once stood as a hero allowed this tragedy to unfold by failing as a protector.' Farewell."

The dark-haired girl then vanished through her portal, leaving the humans and digimon behind. As a group, they shook their heads at the fading amazement they once had towards her trick. Impmon quietly grumbled about how she always manages to disappear at the most inconvenient times. Tai, on the other hand, was more focused on her final words.

If the prophetess was right, then everything that was happening at this moment was because of one of the digidestined, someone meant to protect and help, failing to fulfill their duties. Logically, the spiky-haired boy knew that she could be talking about any of the numerous digidestined scattered across the globe. Deep down, however, he knew that if anyone had failed as a protector and even as a leader, it was him. Tai felt the heavy weight of guilt setting on his shoulders as the true extent of his failing became clear. Diaboromon's return, the Guardian program's attack on the human world, and maybe even the hostility of those strange digimon from earlier might all be his fault. Had he truly slipped that far that he was beyond a useless member to an actual liability for the Digidestined?

Shaking his head slightly, Tai tried to shove those thoughts out of his mind. It couldn't be true, right? How could this be his fault? Just because he and Agumon fought against Diaboromon repeatedly over the years, as had Matt, Gabumon, and the others, did that somehow make it _his_ fault? It couldn't…

With an uneasy chill, the spiky-haired boy suddenly recalled watching his partner and Matt's on a computer screen. Izzy was out of the room, suffering from ingesting the horrors of the Kamiya kitchen, but the fight was going in the Digidestined's favor. When the virus made a lucky blow, however, Tai slapped the computer monitor in frustration. The computer froze, causing WarGreymon to stop moving. That stupid act cost them a quick victory, allowed Diaboromon to launch two missiles, and the dangerous mega was able to multiply himself to a nearly innumerable army. Maybe… if they'd managed to stop Diaboromon before he did all that, he wouldn't have kept returning. Maybe if he hadn't messed up the computer at that moment, all of the problems they were facing now wouldn't be happening. Which means it _could_ be all his fault.

"Well, if we have to split up," Riku began, interrupting Tai's thoughts, "I think that Hiro and I should stick together."

"Can I go with the girl? And leave Jay here?" asked Tsukaimon. "I'm willing to bet she's smarter than the goggle-kid and mini-Agumon boy. And smart guys survive."

Takato turned towards the Digidestined of Courage, an expression of excitement spreading across his features, "I'm alright with teaming up with Tai. With WarGreymon and Gallantmon together, we'll be unstoppable."

The former Goggle-head smiled at the younger boy, but didn't quite feel as enthusiastic as him. Takato looked at him as a hero, a role model, like Davis once did and still seemed to on occasion, but he didn't feel he deserved that kind of attention anymore. He probably didn't even deserve to be here. On the other hand, Agumon could help still. Even if the older boy likely caused all of this, the tamer was right about the reptilian digimon's abilities.

"Which means I better make sure his fan-boy tendencies don't take over," muttered Impmon. He glanced over at Jeri and asked, "You'll be okay with the flying pig and Goth-teen?"

She smiled, "I have Elecmon with me. I'll be fine. You, Ai, Mako, Takato, and Guilmon be careful too."

"We'll be fine," waved Guilmon cheerfully.

"I guess we'll meet up at the Digital Anomaly building," Entomon sighed tiredly. "Which is in the middle of the blue fog. Sounds like _loads_ of fun."

"Come on, buddy, we're off on adventures again like the old days," grinned his red-haired partner. "Defeating evil and saving the world. This is _way_ better than being a telemarketer."

* * *

"I'm sorry, but there seems to be no answer. Would you like me to try ringing the room again?" asked the woman on the telephone.

Mrs. Kamiya sighed, "No, that's alright. Thank you anyway."

She hung up the phone, frowning. After leaving her son and the others at the alley, though not happily since they were undoubtedly heading for even greater danger, she'd gone to the Izumi residence. Then, once she'd called her husband about events and explained to Izzy's mother about the current situation, she proceeded to try calling the out-of-town Digidestined. Unfortunately, she was having difficulty reaching many of the scattered children. Joe was at a summer course for the college he would be attending in the fall or, as Tai referred to it, "nerd away camp." Sora would be in the middle of a match at that moment. And now, Matt wasn't in his hotel room or, at least, wasn't answering the room's phone. She wasn't planning to give up yet. But she might have to relocate soon.

"Yuuko, you saw the television. I think we should leave soon," suggested Mrs. Izumi, glancing back at the screen with concern. Both women had been shocked when Izzy and Tentomon appeared on television earlier, but they became even more upset as the boy spoke. His warning and suggestion to evacuate caused his mother to close her eyes tightly. She knew the boy was protected by Tentomon, but that didn't stop her from worrying deeply. Now, she seemed to half-expect him to reappear on screen at any moment. "It isn't safe here."

"Let me try Matt's cell phone at least," she requested. "Our children need as much help as they can get."

A door opened suddenly, startling the two women and causing them to leap off the couch. But it wasn't the front door bursting open to allow more dark-suited people coming to arrest them. It was the bedroom door to Izzy's room. Though Mrs. Kamiya could have sworn the only ones in the home were her and Mrs. Izumi, five figures stumbled out of the supposedly empty room.

One was a blond-haired boy close to Kari's age wearing a grey shirt and a red jacket over it. On his shoulders were a pair of rabbit-like creatures, one white and green and the other one brown and pink. Also running out of the room was two, more familiar beings. A girl with brown hair and, oddly, pink pajamas. Along with her was a green, vegetative creature with a brightly-colored flower on her head.

"Mimi? Palmon? What are you doing here?" asked Mrs. Kamiya.

The Digidestined of Sincerity paused, looked over at the adults, and smiled, "Hey, Mrs. Kamiya. This is too funny. I was planning to call you later this week. I was going to ask you about picking up a certain violet skirt that Sora told me about at that little boutique three blocks from here. Sora would have bought it and I would have paid her back, but I heard you have store credit there and thought it would be easier…"

"Mimi, come on," urged Palmon. "You can ask about that later. We're in a hurry."

"Oh right," she blushed. "We're here to help out. Our friends are in trouble, so we came over to Japan as quickly as we could. And I guess I'll pick up the skirt myself while I'm here. Bye, Mrs. Kamiya. Bye, Mrs. Izumi."

"Wait, how did you…" began Izzy's mother, but the group of digidestined and digimon were already out the front door and out of earshot. Her voice trailed off slowly, "…get in Izzy's room?"

"I guess our children have a little back-up now," remarked Mrs. Kamiya, trying to be optimistic. "But you're right. We should get out now. Before it's too late."

* * *

After dividing up, they smaller groups of humans and digimon took off in opposing directions. The generally agreed upon plan was to find people in need of help and to slowly work their way inward. Happily, most of the city's population was doing a reasonable job of evacuating on their own. This gave them plenty of time to ask important questions.

"So, anyone have a bright idea of how to get over the deadly blue fog?" asked Tsukaimon. "Because, right now, I'm the only one who can fly."

"You could always carry us," suggested Jay. "As a champion, you can carry me, Jeri, and Elecmon easily."

"So I'm a pack mule now? Forget it," he sneered.

The teenager glared at where his blue partner flapped beside his head, "You gave me rides loads of times before in emergencies. You even gave Riku a lift that one time."

"You weigh more now."

"But you're huge as a champion. You could carry half our group without breaking a sweat. You've just gotten lazy and stubborn."

"I was _always_ this way. You just didn't use to waste time by arguing."

Jeri, having finally set Elecmon down and allowing him to run beside her, interrupted in a sweet voice, "Don't bother the poor little thing. I'm certain that he would give us a ride if he could. It isn't his fault he's too weak."

"Hey, I didn't say I _couldn't_ do it," frowned the virus type. "I just don't want to."

The tamer smiled at him in an obviously patronizing way, "I'm _sure_ you could. You know if you get tired of flying, I'd be happy to carry you and let you rest your little wings."

"You think I'm some sort of idiot, don't you? You think you can trick me into losing my temper and trying to prove you wrong by letting you guys ride me? It isn't going to work," asserted Tsukaimon. "I'm smarter than that."

"Of _course_ you are," Jeri nodded, adopting a tone of voice that would have irritated Impmon, Kazu, and any number of other males. "I wouldn't try tricking a sweet, little thing like you. It would be just _mean_. You're _far_ too adorable to hurt with mind games or to attempt difficult stunts like carrying us on your back into battle."

Groaning, the Patamon-like rookie landed on the ground, "Fine, I'll be a pack mule. Just stop talking about me like that. It's disgusting."

She smiled innocently, pretending not to understand what the virus meant. While she rarely tried to change a stubborn person's mind (except for occasionally steering a drunk out of her father's tavern), she knew that attacking the problem head-on usually didn't work and only strengthened their resolve. Instead of begging or arguing, Jeri simply found a way to provide a reason that would cause the virus to prefer changing his mind.

"Thank you," the tamer replied.

The street they were on ran nearly parallel to the advancing blue fog bank. No one else seemed to be currently on it and most of the cars were gone. This meant there was room for larger digimon without causing panic or excess destruction.

Jay, after giving the girl a thankful nod, pulled out his large and old digivice. He held it in front of him and pointed it at his partner.

"Tsukaimon digivolve to… Devidramon!"

The dark-colored champion could best be described as a more animalistic-looking Devimon. He was hunched over; his long arms resting in front of him like a gorilla's. His sharp, red claws scraped the asphalt. A long, black tail twitched behind him like a feline's. His mouth was filled with sharp teeth and his four, blood-red eyes glowed from his face. A pair of ragged black wings completed the image of a demonic gargoyle.

"Get on," he growled, jerking his head.

As Jay stepped towards his partner, a large number of small shapes bounced out of the blue mist. Their bodies matched the fog in color and each one possessed a single eye that took up most of their face. Some were simply roundish with tiny nubs on their heads and tiny stubs that gave them a jellyfish-like appearance. Others were slightly larger, shaped like a clawed hand, and bore a long pair of antenna.

Jeri pulled out her D-arc and glanced at the screen, "Let's see. 'Kuramon, an unidentified type baby level digimon?' And 'Tsumemon, an unidentified in-training digimon?' That's odd. And the colors are wrong. The baby level is supposed to be greyer and the in-training is supposed to be a different shade of blue."

"There were tons of the little jellyfish ones here a few months ago," remarked Jay. "They're Diaboromon's lower stages."

"Well, they're coming our way," reminded the champion. "And they're looking at me weirdly."

"They have one eye," Jay pointed out. "How else are they supposed to look?"

"Less creepy," the evil-looking gargoyle growled. "Let's see how they like _my _glare. Red Eye!"

His numerous crimson eyes began to glow brightly. Every one of the small creatures that met his gaze froze in their tracks, paralyzed. Unfortunately, not all of the Kuramon and Tsumemon were caught in the trap. Others simply pushed aside their brethren and continued to advance.

Dashing in front of his tamer, Elecmon announced, "Super Thunder Strike!"

Electricity crackled across his red and blue tail feathers before shooting out to hit a number of the small digimon. A few Kuramon dissolved apart and a couple of the Tsumemon flew back from the attack, but more quickly took their place. And the numbers continued to increase as the creatures sprung out of the blue mist.

"They're not that strong, but there are so many of them," Jeri's partner commented.

"Neko Claw!" a voice shouted.

An orange, black, and white shape dashed towards the closest group of the blue creatures, slashing at them fiercely. He was fast and agile, twisting around to connect a blow at every enemy in reach. Only when the closest enemies were defeated did they get a look at the digimon.

He was a feline-like digimon, similar to Gatomon in appearance. He lacked the ring around his tail, his paws were covered by brown gloves with claws instead of her yellow ones, and his fur was a pattern referred to as calico or tortoise-shell instead of white and purple like Kari's partner, but the similarities were still there. He blinked his yellow eyes at them before leaping towards another Tsumemon.

"Nikukyuu Punch!" he announced as he struck the in-training.

Devidramon grinned, "You know, I think I can do better than that." He jumped towards the mass of creatures, shouting, "Crimson Claw!"

If the cat-like being had been effective, the larger digimon's assault on the blue creature would nearly be considered over-kill. The dark virus ripped through them, destroying any baby or in-training that his claws reached.

"They keep coming back," a young voice announced. "They keep coming back out of the fog."

Jeri turned and caught sight of a small group of adults. While only one wore a suit, they were all dressed like professionals and business people. Right now, however, they looked terrified. Standing in front of them was a boy close to Jeri's age and a girl close to Suzie's. Both had dark hair, though the girl's hair was in a braid down her back, and were clearly related. The boy was wearing a yellow shirt and grey shorts. The girl, apparently the one who just spoke, was in a blue skirt and was holding a small, round object in her arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked before realizing exactly why these kids were present. "...You're digidestined, aren't you?"

The girl nodded, "My name's Mari and my big brother is Kyo. He got an e-mail from the really smart boy with the bug digimon he met on the computer. It said that some mean guys wanted to take away our friends. I didn't want to take away Pafumon." She hugged the small, soft-furred, translucent-white body with big, black, round eyes and longish ears tipped with brown currently nestled in her arms. The tiny creature gave a soft cooing sound. "But then, later, the T.V. said that there was a really bad digimon who was causing the fog and it hurt people. The boy with the bug told everyone to run away, but we have to help. Isn't that what it means to be a digidestined?"

"We found these people cornered about a block away from here," Kyo continued, stepping protectively closer to his sister and indicating the adults behind him. "Mikemon helped clear a path for them to escape, but these digimon keep coming. And there are other, stronger ones too. We're trying to get them to somewhere safe, but the blue mist keeps advancing. And you can't stay in contact with them or the fog for very long without getting tired. It's like they're made of the same stuff as the mist. Mikemon is fast, but he can't keep it up forever." His gaze shifted towards Elecmon and then to Devidramon, who was still slashing through the innumerable blue digimon. "There's safety in numbers, so we were hoping you could help us."

Jay's one visible eye sparkled with amusement, "I think we can help with that." Turning his head towards the fighting, he yelled, "Devidramon, its pack mule time."

As the viral champion pulled himself away from the blue masses, Jeri realized that while he might be able to carry all the people and digimon, he wouldn't be that fast or maneuverable. And if the other, stronger creature that come out of the blue mist could fly or fire projectiles, he could end up as a sitting duck. But if they could lighten the load and provide some protection for the retreat… She glanced at her partner, silently asking his opinion. The red and blue rookie nodded.

"You guys go ahead," she instructed. "Jay and Devidramon will get you to safety. We'll stay and fight.

Jay stared at her, "Are you sure? It doesn't feel right leaving you alone. Digidestined stick together."

"As do tamers," agreed Elecmon. "But we'll be fine. And Destiny did say to help the innocent and defenseless we encounter. Those adults have no protection beyond what we can offer. They'll be safer away from here."

By this point, the humans, Pafumon, and even Mikemon had climbed onto the champion as best they could. It looked awkward and crowded, but they'd managed somehow. Devidramon turned his four blood-red eyes towards the girl and rookie, waiting to see if they planned to change their minds.

"And I _am_ a tamer," Jeri asserted, taking her yellow-ringed D-arc in one hand and her crest in the other. "We protect others and fight evil." She looked directly at the advancing blue mist and swarming digimon. "Because the strong, both of body and heart, will guard the weak from harm."

With a smooth motion, she slid the card-like crest through her D-arc. She didn't know for certain what the result would end up being, but she knew, as Impmon said, it was bound to have "flashy effects." And now was the time for that kind of thing.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Forgiveness Activate!"

She had a moment to see Elecmon change into his champion form before both the digimon and her were enveloped in a bright light.

"Leomon Crest Biomerge to… Regulumon Forgiveness Mode!"

**If you remember, I went back to "Destiny" and changed Leomon's mega form from SaberLeomon to Regulumon. So don't be confused by that. On another note, Kyo and Mari were some of the other digidestined that live in the area that I mentioned. I figured that it would be good to show them. And if you're upset about Tai in this chapter, keep in mind everyone is allowed to have a bad day. Besides, I plan to get him back to his old self soon. **

**I'll update as soon as I can. Reviews are deeply appreciated. Thanks.**


	46. Getting Closer

**I'm sorry about how long this chapter has been about being posted. This has been an extremely crazy week. And school is starting Monday… Everything is just hectic.**

**Once more, the original DigiDestined's names, appearances, personality, and basically everything about them is my invention. Those two other digidestined that appeared in the last chapter are also my invention, though they were more like one-time characters to demonstrate the presence of other digidestined in the city and that they will likely be fighting the Guardian program across the city. That way it wouldn't seem like only the main guys are reacting to the blue fog sweeping across the city.**

**Another odd viewpoint coming up. Hope you like it.**

The city was being covered by a dangerous program, similar and yet different than the D-reaper back home. The fog was deadly, so the cheerfully giggling Digi-Gnome stayed away. Most of the people were moving away from the blue mist anyway, so it followed the wishes.

It loved to make people happy and granting wishes helped make people happy. Unfortunately, there were different kinds of wishers out there. Digi-Gnomes had to deal with the different styles of wishing people adopted if they wanted to make them happy.

Some people are quiet wishers. They keep their dreams and wishes to themselves, never sharing or even admitting their existence to themselves. These wishes hardly ever come true since these people would never fight for their dreams.

Others are loud wishers. Their words, their actions, and even their thoughts project these wishes out into the world. Everyone these people meet quickly learn what their dreams and wishes are. These wishers, these dreamers, are the type of people that Digi-Gnome love to find.

But even the louder wishers have different types. Some have so many wishes and dreams bouncing around in their heads, you can hardly identify the individual ideas through the chaos. Occasionally, one wish would shine through the noise, but it didn't change the fact that it was harder to find what would make these people happy. They were complicated.

The best wishers, the dreamers who truly attracted Digi-Gnomes, where those who would focus on a single desire, completely and utterly. These people find something so important that no other thought matters. They know exactly they want and project that sole desire to the world. Digi-Gnomes could grant what would make them happy because they _knew_ what they wanted.

But it wasn't finding any wishers like that currently. A few adults wished that their children would be safe from "dangerous monsters." The best way to protect children from dangerous digimon would be for them to have a partner. And the bonds between humans and digimon were so clear in this universe, as if some were destined to be together. Thinking it would make those parents happy, the Digi-Gnome introduced the children to their digimon partner. It didn't even have to create a D-arc since a simple, but still effective device appeared anyway. But even though the human children would be safe now with their partners, the adults who wished for safety were now even more upset and afraid. The Digi-Gnome was confused the wishes didn't make them happy.

The glowing being, resigned to the fact some people don't know what they want, decided to find another person. Someone who _knew_ what they wanted. Someone who it could actually make happy.

* * *

"Can we slow down?" asked Izzy, his eyes sealed shut and his voice raised to be heard over the wind. "Or at least cut back on the acrobatics?"

Laughing excitedly, the older DigiDestined who sat in front of him yelled back, "I haven't had this much fun in years. And you don't have to hold on as tight."

"You leapt off the television station building, dragging Izzy off too, before your fox caught you, rolled, and began galloping across the roofs and sides of the buildings," remarked Tentomon, his voice coming from nearby as he flew alongside the galloping digimon. "I'm glad I'm flying instead of riding."

"Boys can be such wimps," chuckled Youkomon. "We haven't tried the '360 Supreme' or the 'Cliff-jumper, Wall-run, Twist Combo' yet."

"Be careful on that last one," Ren suggested. "I don't want to lose my glasses."

The Digidestined of Knowledge kept his eyes tightly shut. He'd made the mistake of watching the journey _to_ the Fuji station. He wouldn't repeat that mistake. He'd ended up flying across the sky on giant digimon in the past, but it didn't quite match the unsettling, vertigo-inducing ride the large fox managed to produce. His arms were wrapped around the man, desperately trying to prevent a painful fall.

A crunch of metal erupted from below as the ride jerked abruptly and turned sideways. He could feel the large fox continue to run sideways for a unnerving distance before she leapt upwards and scrambled vertically up a surface. Whatever just occurred caused Youkomon to laugh manically and for Ren to yell an apology.

"What did you just do?" Izzy asked, uncertain he wanted to know.

"They jumped off a building, crashed onto a car's hood, ran along the side of a building and climbed up another," described Tentomon helpfully.

"Too bad we don't have a canyon with some boulders embedded in the walls," Ren remarked. "Remember that stunt?"

Prying open his eyes a crack, the teenager glared at the grown man as best he could, "What exactly do you _do_ all day? Skydive?"

Ren gave a little shrug, "I'm an antiques' store owner."

* * *

The spiky-haired man walked down the middle of the street, straight towards the approaching blue mist. Beside him, a red-haired man with a baseball cap pulled over the wild strands grinned cheerfully. One was dressed like a working professionally and the other was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. If someone were asked to describe the pair of humans currently marching towards the Guardian program and the blue creatures beginning to emerge, they'd call the brunette a driven businessman and the other an obvious slacker. Most people, however, would be too distracted by the large, dark-shelled insect and the _very_ large, orange dinosaur behind them.

"I see lots of opponents," noted Hiro. "Think we should go up a level first?"

Riku glanced back towards Entomon and BigAgumon, "It'll raise the collateral damage, but it might be best. You guys ready?"

The insectoid digimon nodded, but the large reptile tilted his head curiously. The spiky-haired man narrowed his eyes, waiting to see what his partner would say. He knew to trust the rookie's instincts. And if he was acting like something had caught his attention, they should pay attention.

"Fighting," the orange digimon growled. "I hear fighting one street over."

"And in the grand traditions of insane ideas and suicidal moves, we're going to run straight towards the sounds of battle," Hiro remarked, a grin plastered across his face.

"Sounds about right," agreed his insect partner.

Riku nodded, "We're investigating, but we're going in prepared."

The two men pulled out their old-fashion digivices. Neither DigiDestined had been in a real life-or-death situation since they were kids. Still, the sense of danger, balanced by excitement, was a familiar one.

"BigAgumon digivolve to… RedGreymon!"

The large orange rookie was replaced by a huge, reddish-orange dinosaur. The last time this particular creature roamed the city, he'd faced Parrotmon. He'd fought in front of a select few children, identifying the next generation of Digidestined.

"Entomon digivolve to… SandYanmamon!"

Hiro's partner vanished in an explosion of light, leaving a larger insect behind. He seemed to be a giant, grey dragonfly with green eyes. His large mandibles seemed to form a hungry, predator-like grin. His front legs ended in curved claws similar to his or Tentomon's. He wasn't as awe-inspiringly impressive as RedGreymon, but he could fly. The dinosaur possessed pure strength, but SandYanmamon provided air coverage. They made a great team.

The group's ability to balance out each other was part of their success. Ren and Hiro were the daredevils and the guys who would run any risk because of the fun and thrill. They made the crazy plans work by doing the tough stunts. Tammy was the thinker of the group. She would figure out how use the variables in the best possible way to find success. She would examine the situation and find a solution. Jay had been the "kid brother" of the group, giving the older kids a sense of purpose at times. Saving the whole Digital World seemed to be too big a responsibility, but keeping one small boy safe was easier to accept. But as much as he might have denied it at the time, Riku always ended up boosting the team's confidence and morale. He led them into battle and kept them together. None of them would have succeeded alone. They worked best together.

The red-haired man twisted his cap and climbed on the oversized dragonfly. He didn't fit as well on the digimon as he did in his youth, but Hiro still managed. Riku gave the pair a nod, indicating for them to go investigate the sounds. They knew the strategy to follow, one that Tammy developed years ago. The idea was to send in the more maneuverable members for surveillance and follow with the heavy hitters after the initial sweep. They'd usually tried this plan with Youkomon or Devidramon fulfilling these roles, but Hiro's partner could pull it off too.

"Hang on tight," SandYanmamon instructed, his voice containing a faint buzzing quality to it, before taking flight and vanishing over the building towards the next street.

The giant reptile leaned over, his snout just a few feet from the ground. Riku, with less practiced ease than he once exhibited, scrambling up the back of RedGreymon until he could find a grip. The champion patiently waited for the man to reach his shoulder, making it easier to keep his balance when the creature began moving. Before they went crashing through the city like a monster out of an old black and white movie, they waited for the signal.

A piercing whistle erupted, summoning the pair to dash for the closest street that would connect to the one Hiro and SandYanmamon now occupied. There was a horrible scrapping sound as the orange dinosaur's hide rubbed against the close buildings, but that didn't greatly distract the pair. The red-head possessed a talent for whistling. It annoyed the digimon with sharp-hearing, but the high-pitched noise carried over a distance. Hiro's whistling could always grab the group's attention, even over the sounds of battle. Riku couldn't count the number of times that signal kept all of them together during emergencies. It was nice to see his talent hadn't faded with age.

The next street over was similar to the last. Blue mist and blue digimon crept along, absorbing buildings and vehicles into the foggy oblivion. But the blue creatures were under attack by other digimon. One was a small, green insect shooting a deadly-looking powder at one of the jellyfish digimon. Another was a bouncing, blue-striped cat-head with a tail and green-yellow eyes. That one was biting at the blue beings before bouncing towards another one. The final one, the one doing the most damage, was holding a wooden Kendo sword, wore protective padded armor, and a mask with pointy ears. All that could be seen of his actual features were his blue reptilian feet and tail and the glowing yellow eyes that peered from the darkness behind the wire screen of his mask. In addition to the three attackers, two girls and one boy, stood there among the chaos.

"Desert Storm!" announced SandYanmamon, dive-bombing the blue digimon and knocking them back into the fog.

RedGreymon opened his mouth and shouted, "Nova Flame!"

The wind-based attack and the large fireball managed to clear the area around the children and digimon. Once it was clear they had a few minutes before the attackers regrouped and returned, Riku slid off his partner and inspected the young digidestined.

One girl, around thirteen, had long blond hair tied in a pair of ponytails on either side of her face. Her hazel eyes flickered from the adults to the champion digimon and to the advancing mist quickly before resting once more on Riku. She wore a pink tank-top and denim shorts. A set of sunglasses were perched on her head and a rainbow dufflebag was slung across her shoulder.

The boy, closer to sixteen in age, wore his brown-hair in a messy (but not spiky like Riku, Tai, or that Takato boy had) fashion. His jeans possessed holes on the knees and his brown t-shirt featured a tiger's snarling face. In his hands was a length of wood he likely scavenged from a dumpster or a broken crate. He held it out like a weapon. He looked ready to take on the blue creatures himself.

The third child, a girl, wore her dyed blue hair at shoulder length. She seemed to be closer to the boy in age and wore a low-cut dark-blue blouse, black skirt, and held a pair of high-heel shoes in her left hand. Her bare feet revealed blue-painted toenails. Around her right wrist was a silver charm bracelet.

"Thanks," the brunette boy nodded. "Those Kuramon and Tsumemon keep getting worse. And while me and Kotemon can handle almost everything, we have May and Zuki to consider."

The blue-haired girl glared, "Toru, you know DoKunemon is just as capable as your partner is. Stop bragging to the man with the giant dinosaur. I doubt he's going to be impressed by a lizard with a stick."

"Don't diss the warrior digimon," he frowned. "We can take everyone here, including the army from the mist."

The blond girl rolled her eyes, "_This_ is what Wanyamon and I have to deal with. I wish those two would just admit they're in love with each other. Zuki and Toru sitting in a tree…"

"Shut up," Toru and Zuki snapped in unison.

Three taller, blue digimon shot out of the mist. These were more octopus-like, their long legs streaming behind them like tentacles. His eyes were green, but his black pupils took up most of their eyes. Long antennas hung behind their large, round heads and orange collars around their neck. Their mouths were a long, thin line that divided their face. Their hands were folded in front, like the claws of a praying mantis. More began to follow out of the fog.

"Bug Blaster!" the closest one announced, firing a bright light from his mouth.

"Hothead!" shouted Kotemon, his bamboo sword igniting with flames as he struck the attack.

"Poison Powder!" added the green insect, releasing another deadly-looking cloud upon the attackers.

Wanyamon, realizing he wouldn't stand a chance against the larger opponents, bouncing quickly back to his blond partner, speaking, "What are they?"

"We're Keramon," the blue rookies answered in unison. "We're here to destroy."

"Guess what. So are we," buzzed SandYanmamon. "Desert Storm!"

"Nova Flame!" roared RedGreymon, opening his mouth once more.

Riku glanced at the younger digidestined, "If I was a _responsible_ adult, I'd tell you to go somewhere safe and leave this kind of thing to grownups. However, I was getting involved in deadly situations when I was around May's age and no one ever stopped me. I can't tell you to do something I never would do."

"Well, you're welcome to come with us," grinned Toru. "Our plan is to simply attack anything that come out of the blue fog."

"That digidestined on television said that the mist was dangerous and to run away, but Toru never learned the meaning of retreat," Zuki added. "So we headed towards the threat. We have a responsibility, after all."

"Saving the world?" asked Riku.

"Keeping Toru from trying to attack a giant monster with a stick," corrected the blue-haired girl.

"We're heading for the center of this fog," explained Riku, smiling at her comment. "Want to come?"

"Works for me," shouted Toru. "Charge!"

Zuki, running after the attacking boy, screamed, "Get back here, you idiotic _hero_. If you get yourself killed by Keramon, I'll _murder_ you."

Wanyamon glanced up at his blond partner and asked curiously, "Wouldn't it be kind of hard to murder him after he's dead?"

**Okay, those three new digidestined are also my invention. These three (and the two from earlier) may or may not reappear later, but they won't have huge parts. They're just along for the ride.**

**Next time, we'll check back in on the tamer universe. Hope you enjoy what is coming up. Thanks and please leave a review.**


	47. Loyalty

**Another chapter prepared for your viewing pleasure. A little reflection from a character who hasn't shown up for a while and then a three-way battle between the android, the cyborg, and the wooden toy. Hope you enjoy. **

Riley rubbed her temples tiredly. Stress was part of the job description at Hypnos. She'd been in the middle of problems ranging from random bioemergences, the Juggernaut disaster, Yamaki and them being fired and replaced by idiots, tamers lost in the Digital World, the D-reaper, crowds of worried parents, and even Calumon on a sugar rush. She assumed that she could deal with any situation she might encounter.

So far, they couldn't find a signal from any D-arc in the digital or human world. Likely, they were on one of the higher levels. Anything beyond that vast wasteland on the lowest level and the sensors lost true effectiveness. The children had described a lush forest, a breathable ocean, a level of clockwork and gears, and even a library. The tamers could be anywhere on the other levels and they wouldn't necessarily be able to detect them. The rules of the digital world were so strange and illogical, it would be nearly impossible to predict at this point what factors might influence their sensors range and reliability on the other levels.

But the lack of news on the missing tamers wasn't what was causing the woman's current level of stress. She could keep her head during an emergency. What bothered her most was what Mrs. Olkowski and Tally suggested earlier. Could she actually ask him to…?

She moaned and rubbed her eyes. That question was a dangerous one to consider. Tally would watch those romantic movies at night and had explained all the different ways that situation could go. The preferred result is instantaneous acceptance of the proposal and a 'happily ever after' ending, but it wasn't the only possibility. He could say no. In fact, he could say no and the question might destroy their relationship. By asking him, she might actually lose him.

Was it worth the risk? Did he ever hint that he might want more? When Mrs. Olkowski suggested it, she made it sound so simple and easy. But now… she wasn't so sure.

She _did_ love him. She couldn't deny that fact. She didn't want to lose him because of one question. Was everything they _did_ have, however limited, worth risking over something neither had ever discussed?

If this drove a wedge between them, she would have to quit Hypnos. She might be able to remain professional and distant in public currently, but if he said no… she didn't think she could continue to work with him, face him daily, without breaking the "simple co-worker" façade. She could easily find employment elsewhere, but that wasn't the point. She loved her work at Hypnos. She loved her job, talking to Tally, listening to the geeky humor of the Monster Makers, watching the tamers grow-up and still retain their youthful energy, and even chasing down Calumon when he decided to visit the building. Could she leave it all behind if he didn't want…?

She'd also have to move. If she ruined their relationship like that, there would be no possible way to escape that. They couldn't share an apartment after he said no, especially since she wouldn't even be able to face working alongside him afterwards. She wouldn't be able to drink coffee and eat delicious food from the Matsuki bakery with him across the table anymore. Calumon's colorful pictures would still decorate the refrigerator (or maybe not since she was the one who praised the white in-training's art and placed it on the fridge in the first place), but she wouldn't be there to see it. She wouldn't be there to pointlessly argue with Yamaki that he didn't have to focus on work all the time and try to convince him to relax. If she asked him that one important question, she wouldn't just lose him. She'd lose everything she loved in her life.

This is why, Riley reflected, men are the ones that are supposed to propose. They don't seem to worry about every detail of a relationship as much. At least, the men she'd met in the past. Yamaki _lived_ to worry about details. That attention to the possibilities, especially once he got past his nearly blinding hatred of digimon and firm belief about their lack of true life, made him the successful head of Hypnos he currently was. If he stood here instead, pondering whether or not to ask her the question, he would undoubtedly be analyzing the options and worrying even more than she.

In the end, she needed to decide if she could accept a rejection and all it would cause. An acceptance would be such a long-shot; it didn't even make sense to consider it. In fact, why was she even thinking about risking everything on such an impossible option that she could live without anyway? She would be better off pretending that she never even considered the idea. When he gets back (she refused to say "if he gets back"), she should just let things go back to the way they were. It was the smarter, safer option.

She frowned slightly. She'd stood beside him as Hypnos was under attack and everyone else fled, the blond man refusing to leave. He didn't always take the smarter, safer option. But the smart choice wasn't always the _right_ one. The right choice sometimes meant taking risks and fighting for what you want. The tamers proved that on a regular basis, whether that meant facing digimon, human, or other threats to their friends and family.

Was _marriage_ worth fighting for? Did she want it that much? Was it that important to give their relationship a proper title with a ceremony?

No, the _concept_ of marriage wasn't worth the risk. But Mitsuo Yamaki _was_.

* * *

Kazu, floating inside a brown sphere, stared in pure and utter shock. The heroic figure standing in front of him, his red scarf fluttering in the breeze, seemed to stare back with his featureless face. And, even if it was theoretically possible for there to be more than one of these particular digimon in existence, the tamer didn't even consider this an option currently. The boy knew, on some level, that he shouldn't be so stunned. After all, they came to the Digital World in search of the two individuals who create this mega, Devimon was destroying him before his eyes. Kazu had seen him vanish. The phrase "looks like you've seen a ghost" would be too perfect a description for him since they _did_ die. Still, the search was over and their lost tamer and partner were found. Slowly, he found his voice.

"Justimon?"

The familiar figure turned his head slightly, focusing more directly on HiAndromon. He raised his right arm and directed it towards the mega.

"Justice Burst!" he announced.

The tamer was too stunned by the idea of _Ryo_, the Digimon King and Kazu's former all-time idol, could actually attack him that he couldn't even consider getting out of the way. The digimon half of the Biomerged creature, however, took control of the android and dodged the incoming blue energy burst. The dark metallic being rolled from his frozen crouched position before climbing swiftly to his feet.

"Did he just… attack us?" gasped Kazu. "Why would he…?"

"Puppet Pummel!" a certain viral mega shouted, his hammer aimed for HiAndromon's head.

Ducking below the swinging weapon, the android grumbled, "He's still here? Go away, Puppetmon. We're busy here. Atomic Ray!"

"Justice Kick!" announced Justimon, his foot connecting with HiAndromon the same instant the beam of light struck the wooden toy.

Two out of three of the combatives went flying across the charred remains of the village in opposite directions. The Biomerged digimon managed to crash through one of the remaining walls, the wood shattering with impact. When he came to rest, the mega stayed still for a moment.

"Guardromon, what's wrong with him? We just got beat up by _Justimon_," the tamer muttered.

His partner suggested, "Maybe he doesn't recognize us. We didn't Biomerge before he was destroyed."

Grabbing onto that hope, Kazu shouted, "That's got to be it. It's just a giant misunderstanding and we can fix it by explaining who we are."

The mega leapt to his feet and sprinted back towards their friend.

* * *

He successfully kicked HiAndromon out of the way while the android was attacking the wooden digimon. Now he could focus on one opponent at a time instead of two.

"Flying Cross Cutter!" shouted Puppetmon, hurling the spinning wooden projectile towards Justimon.

As the Biomerged digimon prepared for his next move, the dark metal shape of HiAndromon appear through the jagged hole the earlier blow sent him through. The robotic creature held his right hand up.

"Copy Paste!" he called, his voice seeming to be a combination of two speakers crying out in unison. A wooded 'X'-shape object formed in his grasp and he threw it, announcing, "Flying Cross Cutter!"

HiAndromon's identical attack struck Puppetmon's, knocking both off course. The android smiled with satisfaction while the sentient marionette stomped his foot in frustration.

"Stop cheating. Tin soldiers aren't supposed to interrupt my games," the toy scolded.

"Justimon, don't worry. We're here to help," assured HiAndromon. "It's just us. Kazu and Guardromon. We're here to rescue you."

…**A brown-haired boy with a hat and a shirt with an odd symbol stared in awe at him. Another boy, with dark hair and glasses, seemed equally stunned. He felt slightly uncomfortable with the nearly worshipful gaze in their eyes. Traveling with them was **_**Rika**_** and the yellow fox, **_**Renamon**_**…**

…**The hat-wearing youth, **_**Kazu**_**, was hurt. There was a blanket of fog around the area and water sprayed everywhere. A fire-based digimon, humanoid-shaped, was the cause of the injury. An angry, brown-metal, cube-ish being, **_**Guardromon**_**, attacked Meramon along with Justimon and **_**Antylamon**_**. The hurt human was near a tall blond man, a small white digimon, and a small girl. **_**Suzie**_**. He knew all of them…**

Ryo pulled his mind out of the scattered memories unhappily. He wanted to remember, but a battle was not the place to reflect. Puppetmon was still alive and HiAndromon was trying to trick him, just like DemiDevimon said. So far, everything that bat told him seemed to be true. He knew about the D-arc, cards, Biomerging, and the fact he once lived a very different life than the one he spent in Floramon's village. The viral rookie explained he knew other humans with partners, which his memories proved true. And even if he could feel that DemiDevimon was hiding something, that didn't mean he lied about the traitorous nature of these humans. Someone killed him and Cyberdramon. Until he gained evidence otherwise, the bat's description of those events were the only ones he knew. This meant HiAndromon was likely his enemy. An enemy who would depend on lies and tricks to destroy him once again.

Cyberdramon growled softly, anxious for the battle to continue. They wouldn't stand by and be killed again. They would continue to face them at full force until they gained victory or went down fighting. Puppetmon would be destroyed for DemiDevimon, but the Biomerged mega would be punished for betraying them.

Justice Burst!" he announced, firing once more at the android before leaping high into the air. Flipping around, the cyborg aimed for the wooden toy with a shout. "Justice Kick!"

Somehow, HiAndromon scrambled out of the way of the fired attack. Puppetmon, a hair slower, met the foot with his face. The wooden digimon crumbled to the ground. The android turned his head, undoubtedly glaring under his helmet, and waved his hand in the general direction of the earlier attack.

"What was that about, Ryo? You could have taken our head off," complained HiAndromon, but only in one of his dual voices. Specifically, it sounded like the younger speaker of the two halves. "In case you didn't notice, we don't even _look_ like Puppetmon. So why'd you fire on us?"

"Because you are a traitor," Justimon replied coldly. He broke into a run towards the Biomerged digimon, his right arm shifting. When he drew near, he shouted, "Voltage Blade!"

This time, the android didn't have time to dodge the attack and received the full blunt of the energy blade's slice. He staggered back, clutching his chest where the cyborg cut across. Justimon prepared for another swing, but another mega interrupted.

"Puppet Pummel!" shouted the viral marionette, catching HiAndromon in the side and knocking him tumbling across the landscape. It also returned the toy to striking range of the vaccine Biomerged mega of Ryo and Cyberdramon. "Oh…"

"Voltage Blade!"

With a pained scream, Puppetmon scrambled backwards, "I don't like this game anymore."

* * *

It was lying on its side, unmoving and frustrated. After the metallic mega, Justimon, dislodged its rider with his arrival, it was left on the ground and the three of them were battling all around without actually touching the bike.

Behemoth rumbled softly, hating the fact all this chaos and fighting was taking place and it _couldn't move_. HiAndromon was too busy trying to talk to the newcomer to climb back on. And the chances of a random MetalKoromon climbing on at this exact moment were miniscule. It was trapped as a motionless observer to the event in front of it.

HiAndromon, slashed by the cyborg and bashed by the puppet, bounced across the landscape and landed within a few feet of the demonic bike. It revved its engine, trying to catch the Biomerged mega's attention. He sat up, but didn't seem to notice the motorcycle's efforts.

"'Traitor'?" Kazu's voice whispered, sounding stunned. "Why would he call me a traitor? What did I do?"

Behemoth, not caring what his problem might be, growled deeply. It may not speak, but it figured even that annoying tamer might understand the message. It tried to _will_ the thought of getting on the bike into his mind.

Sadly, its nonexistent thought-projection abilities failed and HiAndromon remained oblivious to the meaning of its rumbles. The android climbed to his feet and charged right back to where Justimon and Puppetmon still fought. Behemoth wanted to scream in frustration. It wasn't fair that it was stuck on its side, unable to move, and its only friend in the area was completely ignoring…

Wait, hit the reverse on that thought. Did it actually consider HiAndromon a "friend"? It was one thing to consider Beelzemon a friend. And it was, admittedly, accepting the idea that it should be loyal to Beelzemon's friends and allies. But it was harder to shift Kazu from annoying tamer that it chose _not_ to torture much anymore to the same category as the viral mega. If it allowed that oblivious, bragging, crazy boy be its friend, would it have to call all the tamers and their digimon its friends too? At this rate, it would run out of targets to terrify and torture.

The fight between the trio seemed interesting to observe and a nice distraction from the uncomfortable "friend" concept. One would use an attack on another, but the third would either strike the first one or catch the second as they evaded the original attack. Only HiAndromon broke this pattern. He refused to harm Justimon, trying to ask why he thought he was a traitor while blocking strikes and trying to knock Puppetmon out of the way.

Eventually, HiAndromon grew frustrated by the wooden toy's interference. Considering how many times the viral mega had been hurt since the battle began back when he stole the D-arc, he was looking a little worse for wear. He wasn't about to drop out of the fight yet, but Puppetmon's attacks seemed to lack the explosive potential of earlier. The Biomerged mega grabbed a handful of the strings and slung him over his shoulder, causing the wooden marionette to bounce closer to the demonic bike. In fact, he stopped right next to it.

"That's it. Game over," he muttered grumpily. "I'll just let the tin soldiers play by themselves. And maybe kill the survivor."

The puppet's white gloved hand moved just an inch closer, brushing against Behemoth's handlebars. With a deep roar of triumph, the sentient motorcycle did something it hadn't in so long. It gained a new rider the old fashion way: against their will.

* * *

"Please, Ryo," HiAndromon pleaded, trying to trick him still. Just like DemiDevimon told him. Right? "How did I betray you? Talk to me. We're friends."

"I won't be fooled," he snapped. "You can't be trusted. I know what you and the others did to us."

The three of them had been fighting for several minutes, but the android hadn't tried to directly attack him. Just like the bat described, they depended on trickery instead of force. He would, however, strike Puppetmon. In fact, he just tossed the viral mega across the battlefield a second ago.

"Honestly, we haven't betrayed you," assured HiAndromon. "We've been trying to find and save you. When do you think we turned against you?"

"When you killed us," Justimon answered in a cold voice. "Justice Burst!"

Another shape slammed into the cyborg digimon, throwing off his aim. Cyberdramon snarled at the frustration of missing his target. Ryo glanced at the attacker, wondering who it was. He knew the mass was greater than Puppetmon's.

Turns out, he was partially right. He was the wooden mega, but his eyes now glowed red and he was riding the bike that HiAndromon was earlier. The motorcycle growled in an almost feral nature. If he didn't know better, he would think the vehicle was actually self-aware enough to hate him. But that had to be impossible. It was just a bike.

"Don't hurt him, Behemoth," yelled HiAndromon. "He's just… confused." The android turned back to Justimon, "We _didn't_ kill you. Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't remember. Death can do that to you,' he answered sharply. It was getting harder to retain that mindset of fury towards them. It should make sense to hate them. They tricked and killed him and his partner. They weakened and betrayed DemiDevimon. They couldn't be trusted. The viral rookie said so and he hadn't steered them wrong yet. But something was telling him that he shouldn't be fighting HiAndromon. Still, Ryo tried to remain angry with the murderers. "Voltage Blade!"

* * *

Kazu couldn't believe that Ryo thought he would kill them. The idea was insane. HiAndromon dodged the slashing energy blade while the boy's mind struggled for a way to break through to his fellow tamer. It was easier to concentrate with Puppetmon under the control of the demonic bike and no longer trying to smash his head with a hammer, but the ideas he considered were unlikely to work or dangerous. Words just weren't going to get through to him. He would have to take action to prove his innocence.

"If you try that one, you'll get killed," Rika's voice hissed as he considered a particularly crazy stunt.

"Did you hear that?" the boy asked his partner, wondering if his survival instinct's words could be detected by the digimon he was Biomerged with.

Guardromon's tone was fairly distracted, likely because they were trying to dodge another strike from the energy blade, but he stated, "I do not hear anything, Kazu. But I do not know how we will convince Justimon that we are to be trusted. He simply will not listen to reason."

"Don't even _think_ about it. It's even stupider than riding Behemoth," his inner voice scolded, as clear to him as if the red-head was actually present.

"Takato doesn't think before he acts and it still works out for him," muttered Kazu uneasily.

"What are you…?" began Guardromon, confused at the boy's random comment.

He didn't have the chance to finish, however, before the tamer forced them to divide into a human and champion. Now smaller and vulnerable, the boy briefly wondered about the wisdom of his actions before continuing forward with his idea. He stared firmly at the powerful shape of Justimon.

"I will _not_ fight you. You are our friends. We never betrayed you and we never will," he yelled. "If you have to kill me to prove it, I'd rather do that than turn against a friend. So, go ahead."

"Kazu, don't…" shouted Guardromon, trying to shove his partner behind him for protection.

Both the robotic digimon and the hat-wearing tamer froze as the white rectangle around his neck began to glow. Brown lines started to appear across the surface, as if drawn by an invisible hand. The tamer recognized the shape as being identical to part of the sun-like figure of the Crest of Courage, except half was missing from the symbol. It was like a rising sun instead of the sun at the full height of the day. The symbol was accompanied by a ringing sound that swiftly morphed into voices.

Loyalty. Faithfulness to friends, family, partners, ideas, and beliefs. Standing firm in support of what you hold important, even in the face of adversity. Promises and vows are evidence of this, but this dependability can be exhibited in silence as well. It is not for glory or honor that you remain strong. It is to protect and support what is worth your loyalty.

Others may return that unwavering support, responding with your steadfastness with their own. They gain strength from your loyalty and return the favor until both are more powerful than before.

Yet others will betray your loyalty. They will tempt you to turn your back on your beliefs or friends. But if you find your true cause, one that deserves your support, remain loyal to it. Regardless of whether it is an idea or an individual, if it is truly worthy of your faithfulness, never stray from that path.

Loyalty.

"That was weird," muttered the boy. "But awesome. Kind of like the show, but with cooler effects."

Justimon, pausing during the unexpected crest activation, began to move again. He raised his right arm, preparing to attack. He hesitated, seemingly uncomfortable with the idea of attacking an unarmed and helpless human. It was hard to judge the emotions of a featureless face, but Kazu could almost sense the mega's doubts.

Behemoth, on the other hand, didn't intend to see what the vaccine would decide to do. The sentient bike slammed into Justimon with enough force to knock him quite a distance from Kazu. It also dislodged its possessed rider from the seat, bringing the demonic motorcycle to a halt. It rumbled cheerfully, however, and was clearly pleased with itself.

"Ugh… my head," Puppetmon groaned, sitting up. "Hey, the human's back. Time to take care of that."

Confronted with the viral mega coming after him with an explosive mallet, the tamer acted on instinct. He grabbed his D-arc with one hand and his card-like crest with another.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Loyalty Activate!"

Light surrounded both the boy and robot like before, but stronger and brighter than in the past. Kazu knew whatever was happening would be good.

"Guardromon Crest Biomerge to… HiAndromon Loyalty Mode!"

**Another crest activated. Hope you liked the chapter. Three-way fights are hard, by the way. Reviews are deeply appreciated and are a good incentive to update sooner. Thanks.**


	48. Golden Radiance

**Okay, I originally thought this chapter would include another important part to it. But the chapter kept getting longer and more detailed, so I ended up post-poning that part for the next chapter. Hopefully, I get to the scene in the next chapter. **

**There are some interesting developments in this chapter though. Including an important one I've been waiting for. I hope you like it. Anyway, back to the story.**

The Kuramon and Tsumemon emerging from the mist in an unyielding swarm kept moving forward, but they were now facing a new opponent. A leonine-like being stood firmly in their path, retaining the biped shape of his champion level while gaining a stronger, bulkier build. Most of his fur was a warm, golden color that sharply contracted with his snow-white mane and the silvery shape of a round shield in his left head and the sword in his right. Around his neck was attached was a cape that was red on the inside and white on the outside. Etched on his shield in gold was the teardrop shape of the Crest of Forgiveness. A pair of thick leather straps crisscrossed his chest and held a yellow orb. He wore a pair of brown pants and leather straps were wrapped around his wrists. His eyes were a golden-yellow with black vertical slits and his mouth held a set of predator-like fangs that conveyed a sense of deadly capabilities without seeming mindlessly savage. He was not just a warrior, however. He fought for honor, but not _only_ that. He was a guardian, a protector, and would face anyone who threatened those he would defend.

Within a yellow orb inside the powerful mega, the brunette tamer stared at the invading Kuramon, Tsumemon, and the now-arriving Keramon she recognized from the card game. Just like when she'd Biomerged in the past, she gained an increase in confidence along with the sense of incredible power. This time, the effort seemed even more intense and she couldn't help but smile at the experience.

Regulumon bared his teeth at the closest group of blue digimon, "I offer you one chance to retreat honorably. Take it or be destroyed. You will not harm this world or those who inhabit it."

"Bug Blaster!" called one of the Keramon, firing a bright ball of light at the mega.

Shifting the shield to deflect the rookie's attack, the leonine warrior stated, "As you wish." He leapt into the fray, swinging his sword while announcing, "Lion-heart Blade!"

The slash extend far beyond where the edge of the weapon reached, cutting through the lower leveled digimon easily. The attack continued to travel after the arm movement ended, leaving behind dissolving creatures behind. By the time the destruction ended, the mega was in the middle of a large empty space.

"Wow," Jeri whispered. "We'll have to be careful with that one."

"Destroy one or destroy one thousand," hissed another Keramon, emerging from the blue mist with reinforcement. "It does not matter. We are many. Everything shall be destroyed."

A Tsumemon added, "Nothing can destroy us. We will find the Programmer, bring him to Diaboromon, and he will be pleased. Do not interfere. You will be destroyed."

"They have a hive mind," Leomon's voice commented to her. "They don't even seem to have much of an individual personality. They have no fear or instincts to survive."

"Sort of like those D-reaper drones," she muttered, briefly recalling the events described by the others. "They protect their power and mind in the center, but not the individual parts." Her eyes narrowed within her sphere of consciousness. "Let's see if we can 'interfere' a little."

Regulumon changed his grip on his shield. The golden symbol of Jeri's crest began to glow against the silvery background of the round discs.

With a powerful toss, he hurled his shields towards the returning masses of digimon while shouting, "Defensive Power!"

The spinning, flying projectile struck one Keramon, ricocheted off to hit three more rookies, glanced off a wall, hit one final Keramon before coming back to the Biomerged mega's waiting hand. Numerous baby and in-training digimon were destroyed in the process without even slowing the shield. Only the slightly-stronger rookies lasted long enough after being struck for the disc-like object to bounce off them before the digimon vanished in an explosion of data. Repeating the same attack, Regulumon hurled the shield around the battlefield again in a series of ricocheting strikes reminiscent of a game of pool. The leonine creature caught his shield once more, as easily as if they were playing a game of Frisbee.

"Do you think Jay and Devidramon managed to get everyone away yet," the girl asked within the yellow orb.

Her partner assured, "I'm certain they are safe."

"Then we need to find a way inside," she stated. "Any ideas?"

"The boy, Kyo, and his sister said that you can't touch the digimon for long since they can have the same effect as the Guardian program," Leomon's voice stated. "But they are vulnerable to attacks."

Realizing what he was thinking, Jeri nodded to herself, "We'll conduct an experiment then."

"Lion-heart Blade!" the dual-voiced being shouted, slashing at another blue Keramon who wandered to close.

The slice continued to destroy the digimon, but also extended to the unnatural mist they came from. Breaking the usual physics of normal weather, sections of the fog shattered into data and a large gap opened up. Regulumon actually managed to push back the advancing Guardian program. The lower level digimon produced angry growls and hisses at the action, but it worked.

"Looks like we can just fight our way in," the girl muttered. "It won't be easy, but it should work."

"Bug Blaster!" another blue creature shouted, racing out of the fog with a number of Keramon.

Regulumon charged forward, roaring, "Lion-heart Blade!"

* * *

She opened a portal, once more connecting the digital world and human one. She was leading those she was supposed to find. Tamers, Digidestined, partner digimon, and digimon furious to learn the truth had been all together, practically waiting for her. They wanted a way to face their common enemy, but only a few understood how to cross the border between the worlds in a reliable manner. That was why she'd come to them. Not only did she explain what had transpired in the human world during their absence, she also provided transportation.

Destiny's portal, far larger than those she normally created, opened close to the border of the Guardian program. A very few humans remained in the area and those who did spot the colorful portal's arrival increased their speed of departure. First to step through was Destiny herself, wearing her borrowed jeans and t-shirt. Next, Davis and Veemon followed, moving swiftly out of the way of the opening. Ken, Kari, and T.K. stepped through after him, with JewelBeemon arriving shortly afterwards. There was a pause before the next members came from the Digital World. Eventually MegaGargomon, Sakuyamon, MagnaAngemon, and Angemon appeared through the portal. The two megas stared towards the blue fog for a moment and the angels glanced down towards their partners before they moved out of the way as well. Finally, several digimon arrived through the portal before it closed, finished the collection of back-up Destiny was supposed to bring.

"So this is the human world," grinned Minervamon. "It's kind of deserted. I thought there should be more humans here."

"And that is the work of that lying traitor," Marsmon growled, pointing towards the blue mist.

Valkyrimon nodded, "If the human girl speaks the truth, yes."

"Destiny hasn't lied to us yet," remarked Sakuyamon. "She may not say everything she knows, but she hasn't lied. If she says that thing is connected to Diaboromon, then it is."

Her weapon twirling in her hand, Dianamon stated, "He used us as pawns. He spun lies with just enough truth to seem real and used us as his tools." Her voice darkened and her blue eyes narrowed, "He shall pay for his deceit."

"And he took advantage of our kindness when he was hurt. He turned us against those who wished to be our allies. He lied and tricked us. He _used_ us. Diaboromon broke our trust and that is unforgivable," finished GuardiAngemon.

"Go get him," ordered Terriermon's voice cheerfully. "Just try not to break the city too much. And no taking out the humans either. That tends to make them grouchy."

"Terriermon," his partner's voice scolded.

"Momentai."

The five pure digimon megas were already heading forward, eager to repair the mistakes of the past and deliver justice to the creature that used them for his own purposes. The partnered angels and the Biomerged megas glanced down at the human children, assuring themselves that they would be out of harm's way, before following. Destiny had already described the dangers of Guardian and the plan to head for the DADP building. She also volunteered to help protect the Digidestined themselves while the digimon flew into battle. She was not supposed to battle this enemy directly. The final results were still hidden from her, but the dark-haired prophetess knew that Diaboromon would not be defeated on a single front. His blue mist and Guardian-infused clones were already being slowed and even forced back. Others were uniting and charging forward, preparing for a direct fight against the physical enemy. And some would find a lost power from the past that would unlock a way to win.

A hissing sound provided a small warning before several shapes emerged from the blue fog. They were shaped like sharp-edged cocoons with a red horn and long, thin limbs. Around their heads were a collar of spikes and their small yellow eyes glowed dangerously. Each of their six tentacles ended in dagger-like tips. Finally, bottom of their blue bodies was a deadly, ivory stinger.

"Chrysalimon," Destiny identified. "Diaboromon's champion form."

"On it," nodded JewelBeemon, vanishing from sight. A second later, the closest blue champion stumbled backwards at the same time that a disembodied voice announced, "Spike Buster!"

Davis glanced over at his partner, "I guess we should try ExVeemon this time. We're not going to be able to reach close to ultimate power without a miracle. You can't DNA digivolve while JewelBeemon is dashing around." He grinned ruefully, "I wish we _did_ have a miracle."

These words barely left his mouth before a bright, golden light erupted in front of the boy. Originally flinching back from the brilliance, Davis put his hands out to hold the forming object. The box-like object bore a series of lines that formed the symbol for the Crest of Miracles. While no one they had met actually possessed that crest, the symbol itself was one the boy obviously recognized. The goggle-wearing youth simply stared at the Digi-Egg of Miracle.

Before he could react or activate the golden object, his D-terminal responded by absorbing it the same way it did the Digi-Eggs of Courage and Friendship. In the past, this particular item would be nearly impossible to obtain and would vanish almost immediately afterwards. Now, it was stored with all the others. He could actually use the Golden Digi-Egg when he needed it.

T.K., Kari, and Ken stared at him in surprise while Davis grinned at his friends, his partner, and his D-terminal. Finally, he looked skywards and laughed.

"That wasn't what I was thinking when I asked for a 'miracle,' but it works." He glanced at Veemon, "Ready to show those Chrysalimon who's boss."

"You've got it," the blue rookie nodded, running forward.

Davis held out his blue and white D-3, "Golden Armor Energize!"

"Veemon Golden Armor digivolve to… Magnamon!"

The blue-skinned reptile was now covered in covered in golden armor. His radiant form actually floated off the ground, furthering the impression of amazing power abilities. While technically only an armor-level digimon, those who saw him knew that his power was at least equal to that of an ultimate.

Turning his attention to the emerging champions, Magnamon announced, "Magna Blast!"

Round-shaped shots of plasma began firing at the Chrysalimon at a rapid rate. The blue creatures flinched back from the strikes, but quickly swarmed back.

"Unconnect Buster!" one hissed, his arms shooting forward to slice at the digimon, but failing to scratch through the armor.

Another one announced, "Data Crusher!"

He fired a yellow orb of energy towards Magnamon, but he was already out of the way. The blue digimon tried to re-aim, but an invisible force struck the champion. JewelBeemon chuckled slightly before becoming a nearly silent attacker once more.

Destiny glanced over to the four Digidestined beside her. Davis and Ken watched the battle intently, though Ken was far less loud in his demonstration of support. Kari and T.K. stood closer together, observing the fight in a distracted manner. Undoubtedly, their minds were on their angelic partners and were worried for their safety. They would have preferred to go with Angemon and Angewomon, but it was too dangerous for a human to enter the fog unless they could Biomerge. Some would try to find a way anyway, but these four would remain with her.

Focusing on a particular ability of her crystalline D-arc, the prophetess formed a protective shield around the group. On the outside, it would appear they simply vanished. Magnamon and JewelBeemon were already forewarned about this, however, and would not panic. The blue digimon, on the other hand, would not try to attack the humans since they couldn't see them anymore.

The dark-haired girl looked up and caught sight of motion and heard a faint giggle. She smiled slightly, unable to do anything else when faced with the overwhelming happiness of a Digi-Gnome. They made very valuable allies and could turn the tide with their wish-granting capabilities. But Davis wasn't the only person it would help today. In fact, it should be heading for the next individual right now.

And maybe she could have her own wish granted soon. She knew that she should gain Fate back in the very near future, but it also felt like she was no closer than before. Still, she needed to remain hopeful. It _had_ to work out.

* * *

It giggled softly, leaving the group behind. The boy with the goggles was a wonderful wisher. His mind and heart would focus completely on a single concept and desire. When he even stated that he wanted "a miracle," it was clear that no other wish would achieve his happiness as absolutely as that one. He knew what he wanted and no other wishes distracted him. The Digi-Gnome knew it had found the perfect wisher.

Even though the phrasing of his wish sounded vague, it was perfectly clear that he wanted a better way to help stop the fog creatures. But the word "miracle" caught its attention too. Various powers clung to the children. Four held crests similar to those it helped create. Actually, the dark-haired girl possessed one of the card-like crests, though it hadn't been activated yet. The dark-haired boy also wore one around his neck, only in a different shape. The blond boy and the other girl didn't have the physical manifestations, but still possessed the power. Three of the children also carried a different, older power. The blond boy and the light-haired girl each held one of these old powers, but the goggle-wearing boy carried two of these powers and a third one seemed to echo around him, waiting. This old power spoke of traits similar to the crests and the echoing, nearly-absent, third one whispered of the concept of miracles. Amazingly, it seemed the wisher knew of his potential to use the power of miracles, but just couldn't access it. The Digi-Gnome simply helped this power regain a physical form.

When he received his wish, the boy seemed surprised at first. But he quickly became very cheerful and that made it happy. It watched for a few moments before it left, simply enjoying the smile it had created. Still, it knew that there would be other wishers the Digi-Gnome could help. The city was vast and the people in need were many.

* * *

The small business owner persona that he portrayed just that morning was completely forgotten by now. He still wore the glasses, navy polo, and khaki pants, but his neatly combed hair was tumbled by the wind and his face filled with manic excitement. Ren never realized how much he missed riding Youkomon until he gained the opportunity once again.

Rounding a sharp turn, the giant fox slid to a halt. Ahead of them were countless small Kuramon and Tsumemon emerging from the fog. The grown man hadn't expected to encounter that, but that wasn't the end of the surprising developments.

"Izzy, look," instructed Tentomon, landing on the ground beside the violet vulpine.

"Are we on a stable surface and remaining inert?" the boy asked suspiciously.

Youkomon shook her back, knocking her passengers off lightly, "You're fine. And we have company."

The Digidestined of Knowledge opened his eyes hesitantly, examining the view from his new location on the ground. In addition to the swarm of blue digimon of the Diaboromon digivolution line, he seemed to notice what already held Ren's attention. Three larger shapes were attacking the small creatures, destroying large numbers without really trying.

One was a large green and white anthropomorphic rabbit with blue pants. On his hands were what seemed like machine guns and a brown bandolier crossed his chest. Under his beady black eyes were a couple of red lines, like war paint, and a red diamond lay on his forehead below a horn. He was currently shooting at everything that moved with extreme accuracy.

Another one, also rabbit-like, wore a yellow jumpsuit over his almost purple fur. His head sported a trio of horns and long, floppy ears. He moved agilely through the swarm, his red-gloved hands equipped with silver blades that could fold back against the hands or flip forward to slice with each punch. His beady black eyes flickered swiftly across the area, examining the moving group of blue digimon. He also wore a blue bandana around his neck and a confident expression.

The third one flew over the group, her powerful attacks contrasting with her delicate features. She seemed like a plant-based fairy, a pink flower nestled on her head with only her normal-looking face and large, black eyes visible. Her dress was made of another pink flower and her four wings were made from giant green leaves. Around her wrists were yellow flowers that turned into a single yellow flower and fired like a cannon.

"Let's see. 'Gargomon, Terriermon's champion form'," muttered Izzy. Ren looked down to find that the younger Digidestined had managed to swiftly pull out his computer and run searches on the digimon after being tossed to the ground by Youkomon. "'His attack 'Gargo Laser' will blast you out of the park.' The purple one is 'Turuiemon, Lopmon's champion form.' At least, his non-corrupted one. 'His 'Gauntlet Claw' will slice his enemies to ribbons.'" The boy looked up and blinked in surprise, "And 'Lillymon, Palmon's ultimate.' Does this mean…?"

"Same as always, Izzy," a female voice commented cheerfully. A tall, brunette girl ran into view and yanked the boy sitting with his laptop to his feet. Izzy stiffened in surprise at her arrival in front of him, but she seemed unaware of her reaction, "Focusing on the computer screen when you should be looking at what's in front of you."

"Mimi?" he choked out. "When did you get here? How did you know to come? And… why are you in your pajamas?"

Ren saw that the reddish-brown haired boy was correct. The teen girl was standing in the middle of the street in a pair of pink pajamas, her hair displaying signs of "bedhead." And Izzy definitely noticed her unusual state.

A second later, a blond boy with bright blue eyes joined the pair, "Hey, Izzy. We got here as quickly as possible. And when we found these Diaboromon copies… the twins decided to take out some frustration on them."

"Glad to see you too, Willis. I'm just surprised," he answered. "Be careful of the fog. It's some kind of physical manifestation of the Guardian program Diaboromon is using. It's been reported to be serious damaging to the health of anyone who comes in contact with it."

"We've been staying away from it anyway," Mimi explained. "It didn't look safe. Besides, they are coming out of the fog. We haven't had to chase them in there yet."

"The others are heading for a building in the center of this mess," Ren described, feeling slightly uncomfortable intruding on this group of close friends. "If possible, we should try to follow."

The two digidestined looked at the adult oddly before nodding slowly. The girl seemed to take Ren's presence more in stride than Willis. He seemed uneasy, watching the blue digimon and mist with a hint of dread and the rabbit-like creatures with concern. The addition of another unknown element, even one on his side didn't seem to help him feel comfortable.

"If we need to go anywhere, I think we need to clear a path," remarked Youkomon. She ran towards the swarm, laughing, "If you aren't evil, I suggest moving. Evil Flame Dragon!"

Turuiemon, Gargomon, and Lillymon jerked out of the way of the black flames she fired from her tail. She leapt nimbly over the destroyed baby and in-training digimon before moving straight into her next attack.

"Fire Ball!" she announced, setting flame to another group of Kuramon and Tsumemon.

"She's good," commented Gargomon. He gestured at a cluster of Keramon emerging from the fog bank, "But we have a few more problems. Gargo Laser!"

Flipping backwards, Turuiemon sliced at the blue digimon and shouted, "Gauntlet Claw!"

"Flower Cannon!" the floral fairy added, firing her large, yellow, flower cannon at the closest cluster of Keramon. The green energy destroyed her targets, but two more for each she killed rapidly took their place. Changing tactics, she began to zip around the enemies, tying them in vines and flowers while announcing, "Flower Wreath!"

"That's a beautiful floral arrangement, Lillymon," Mimi called as her partner pulled her trap tight, destroying large numbers of the digimon. "You should help Sora's mother some time."

"Izzy, I'm going to help," Tentomon remarked.

He nodded, "Right. Time to go on the offensive."

"Tentomon digivolve to… Kabuterimon!"

The large insect took up more space than any of the other digimon present, but remained smaller than many Ren had seen in his lifetime. Like Lillymon, he possessed four wings on his back, though his was less vegetative in nature. His head was protected by a black, hard covering with a long horn. His mouth split into a frighteningly strange set of mandibles with the addition of sharp teeth. His six limbs ended in angular long fingers. The champion's exoskeleton might be blue, but the shade was far darker than the Guardian program or the lower stages of Diaboromon currently emerging.

"Electro Shocker!" the insect announced, firing a burst of electricity at the group of digimon. The low level creatures disappeared in an explosion of data and screams. Even more surprising was the fact that the blue mist shattered upon being hit by the lightning as well. He tilted his head curiously, "That was unexpected."

"Since the fog is a physical manifestation of a computer program, it is made of data like a digimon and the digital world. Thus, it would make sense it would be more vulnerable to a digimon's attacks than anything else," theorized Izzy.

"And that's our ticket inside," Ren stated. "Simply blast our way through the fog and digimon."

"Sounds like a plan to me," his partner grinned. "Evil Flame Dragon!"

Lillymon swiftly added, "Flower Cannon!"

The combined attacks blasted away more of the blue digimon and mist, opening a larger gap. Before they could respond, another Keramon emerged. This one stared at them with intense focus, especially the blond boy and the two rabbit-like creatures.

In a hissing, amazed voice, he remarked, "The Programmer… is here. Good."

Then, not waiting for one of the digimon to react, he dove back into the fog bank. This left the blond digidestined shaking slightly.

* * *

_They were interfering. The children and their partners were fighting back. Some were even forcing Guardian backwards. The original timeline of destruction would no longer be correct. He would still succeed, but it would take longer._

_But the digidestined who fought back was no longer his sole focus. Diaboromon wasn't currently considering the mystery of the children who could combine with digimon, the return of Davis Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji, or even the fact his earlier rescuer and his followers seemed to have learned the truth. Instead, he was thinking of a specific blond child._

_Willis. The Programmer. The boy who would have been his partner. He was here. He was in Japan with those… other partners. He came all this way. He wouldn't have to wait for the opportunity to destroy the digidestined. He could do so almost immediately._

_First, he would need to leave the DADP computer system. He needed to be the one to physically destroy the boy. But how should he do it? His current long-limbed form had quite a bit of history behind it. He fought as Diaboromon against Omnimon twice. On the other hand, Armageddemon made quite an impression last time._

_After a moment, he made his decision. Willis deserved to be destroyed by a brand new, unique form. He could simply manipulate the data from the Guardian program with his own, virus-infused data to create a new mega form. He would invent something specific for the boy's destruction._

_Nothing felt more right than the knowledge he would soon destroy everyone and everything. Especially his creator. He wanted to bring his death more than anything._

* * *

**Okay, originally I wanted to include a scene with Tai, Takato, Impmon, Agumon, and the twins. Unfortunately, there was so much to add to keep things on track, I had to post-pone that until the next chapter. **

**On the other hand, I did get to have Davis with his own moment. When everyone was trapped in the dream world by MaloMyotismon, he was the only one who was able to escape by not being distracted by their ideal fantasies. While he probably has plenty of dreams (and wishes), I figure he is able to simply focus completely and utterly on a single desire when he wants something. This allows him to temporarily shove aside smaller wishes (like Kari as a girlfriend, being treated nicely by his sister, etc.) and not be trapped in a dream like everyone else. At that moment, he truly wanted nothing more than to see MaloMyotismon defeated. This kind of focus makes him very interesting to a Digi-Gnome.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please tell me what you think. Thanks.**


	49. Courage

**Blame a couple of tests and paper for this delay. I've really been looking forward to this chapter. I'll finally get to something that I think should end up being really good… I hope. And I know you have to be getting tired of someone's particularly bad day and current low self-esteem, but I did have a reason for it and I am taking care of it. I hope you like the chapter.**

"I really don't like doing this, but I'm taking the munchkins with me this time," Impmon stated. "They're trouble magnets on their own. And none of you make reliable babysitters for more than ten seconds. So Fatemon it is."

"We're not that unreliable," asserted Agumon.

"Besides, the only one who _won't_ be in the middle of the action will be Hairball," he continued, ignoring the reptile's argument. "One boy with jumbo hair is not enough."

That particular Digidestined seemed particularly distracted since Destiny's departure. His gaze was unfocused and his expression dark. Whatever was on his mind, the purple rookie was willing to bet it wasn't a cheerful topic.

So far, they were a reasonable distance from the progressing blue fog. Small digimon were starting to creep out of the mist, but they were still far enough they weren't a direct threat yet and didn't even seem to be paying attention to them at this distance. They group was trying to devise an idea of how to get past the Guardian program to reach the "building of doom." Their best one of how to proceed was simply to go over the blue mist, but there were a couple of problems with that strategy.

"Gallantmon can't fly," Takato reminded. "And we don't have Grani to ride."

Guilmon pointed out, "We flew that one time."

"That was Crimson mode and I'm not even sure how we did that. Grani sort of… combined his power with us and we ended up with wings and red armor," the boy described. He glanced at Impmon, "You spend most of your time as Blast mode rather than normal, wingless Beelzemon. How do you switch so fast? It's almost like you skip the normal mode half the time."

"The other one has too many bad memories for my taste. Besides, as much fun as my guns are for blasting away, a cannon beats anything," remarked the purple virus. "Speaking of which, where is it?"

The tamer blinked in surprise for a moment before realization struck. He quickly fumbled through his pocket and pulled out the small, toy guy he'd been entrusted with earlier. The rookie snatched it back with a smug grin.

"If you want to mode change, Goggle-head, you have to _want_ it, have the power to back it us, and know you can do it," Impmon explained. "You _know_ you can reach that Crimson mode thing, so you shouldn't have a problem. And if you do, you're in worse shape than I thought."

Takato gave him a scowl, but didn't seem particularly upset about the comment. A remark like that was to be expected after all this time. But the fact that the goggle-headed tamer responded more to that one insult than the teenage Tai had to the entire conversation meant the guy was truly distracted.

"Hey, Hairball," he mocked. "Are you awake over there? You're going to steal the title "Dreamer" from Goggle-head if you aren't careful."

Tai looked up and smiled slightly, "I'm fine. Are we ready then?"

Slowly, the others nodded. Even the oblivious Guilmon (well… semi-oblivious and sometimes too clever to be the same Pineapple-head he would swindle for food) noticed that the older boy wasn't completely okay. His mind wasn't on the discussion and he didn't even seem to focus on the fact they were heading into a dangerous situation. The orange reptile seemed more aware of that fact than the bottomless pit of a rookie or his tamer, but that was to be expected of the Digidestined's partner.

"You sure you're alright, Tai?" asked Agumon, deeply concerned.

"Yes," he nodded. "We need to fix this, after all. Ready?"

The orange dinosaur nodded and the boy pulled out his digivice.

"Agumon Warp digivolve to… um, Agumon?"

They'd expected to see a bright light and a large armored mega. Instead, the orange rookie was left looking exactly the same and vaguely foolish as he stood there waiting. Mako turned to his partner.

"Isn't he supposed to turn into that digimon you fought in the park yesterday?" he asked.

"…I thought so," muttered Agumon. "I don't know what happened. I'm not hungry or tired."

"Is Tai hungry then?" asked Guilmon. "If nothing is wrong with Agumon, maybe something is wrong with Tai instead."

The brunette tamer looked horrified at his partner's suggestion about his idol, but the older boy didn't immediately dismiss the idea. Actually, Tai looked resigned to it.

"I guess I really _am_ just dead weight," he muttered.

"What are you talking about, Tai? How could you say that?" his shocked partner asked.

"Come on, when was the last time I actually made a real difference to the team? Davis, T.K., Kari, Yolei, Cody, and Ken? They're the ones who've been accomplishing everything lately. My and Matt's younger siblings have grown up and no longer need our protection or help. Davis and Ken, not me, helped their partners stop Armageddemon last time. Even Cody and Yolei have made a larger impact on the world recently than me. Maybe the fact Diaboromon wasn't properly destroyed years ago is my fault, which means I'm worse than useless. Face it, if I can't even help you digivolve anymore, what good am I?"

The boy's tone wasn't angry or upset in any way. His words were spoken with a numb detachment. He wasn't bitter about this concept. He was simply stating what he felt was an obvious truth: he was useless and he was giving up.

"But you're a hero," Takato reminded desperately. "You stood face to face against Devimon, Etemon, and Myotismon. You and Matt stood there as Angemon and Angewomon fired arrows at you, just because a prophecy said it would work, and Agumon and Gabumon gained the power to reach their mega levels. You never gave up, even against the Dark Masters or Apocalymon. You made it to the internet by sheer force of will. And when Agumon was in trouble, you heard him all the way in the human world and found a way to reach him in the digital one somehow. How can you say you're dead weight?"

"Because all of those events are in the past. Most of them are from several years ago, back when I first entered the Digital World. But I've not been very useful since those days," the Digidestined of Courage reminded.

Impmon frowned. This particular trip into depressing, hopeless, doomed-to-fail, pessimistic thoughts were occurring at the worst possible time. They did not have time for Hairball to sit around, feeling and acting useless until he finally got over it. Everyone is entitled to having a bad day, but _not_ when a D-reaper wannabe is trying to destroy everyone.

Snapping someone out of this could take a while, but they couldn't waste it. It was kind of annoying. Goggle-head, except at his lowest point, never acted even close to this. He was always too optimistic about success and determined to never give up in an emergency. Even that Hedgehog, Davis, didn't seem like the type to surrender when things look bad. These three seemed to be so similar at times, even with a vaguely similar appearance. What made Tai different…?

A crazy idea hit him with as much force as a charging Mammothmon. It wasn't necessarily logical, but a piece of plastic from Mako could be turned into a giant, destructive cannon. Logic didn't always apply with their world. Still, he figured that if this idea turned out to be right, he might be able to kick the Hairball into gear and get events back on track.

"Munchkins, I'll be right back. I have to do something important. Stay with Pineapple-head," he whispered to the twins beside him. He wasn't happy about leaving them behind again, but his swiftly evolving plan involved a minor criminal act. While Mrs. Olkowski is likely to beat his head in with a frying pan or half-choke him with soap for dragging his children into another world without even talking to her first, she would _definitely_ murder him if he began turning the twins into actual criminals before they even begin school. And he remembered from his explorations the night before, his target was just on the other side of the closest building and that meant he would still be close. "If the freaky jellyfish get much closer or start acting weirder, he'll keep you safe until I get back. I promise I won't be far away this time."

The young children definitely weren't happy about this plan. Their faces darkened at the idea and their gaze fell towards the ground. It was getting harder to argue against staying with them. Too many things seemed to find small kids as perfect targets and he wanted to be there to ensure their safety. Plus, they seemed to be perfecting their "begging look" and could probably guilt anyone into surrendering their will. Or maybe he was just going soft and paranoid. If they should ask him to stay with them, he might just do it.

"Okay, Impmon," Ai finally answered softly. "We'll be good and stay here. And you said you'd be back soon, right?" She and her brother exchanged glances. "Besides, you always end up saving us if there's trouble. It'll be alright. And you said it was important. If you have to do something important, then you should do it."

He rubbed the twins' heads, earning a couple of giggles from the pair. They were definitely growing up. They were picking up the whole "responsibility" and "the safety of the world outweighs the wants of a couple of kids" thing. He would have to make sure they didn't go overboard and turn into goggle-heads, though. Of course, if his idea was right, preventing goggle-headism shouldn't be too hard.

The purple rookie swiftly scrambled up the closest building before the thoroughly distracted reptilian digimon and their partners seemed to notice and dashed across the rooftop to the next street. As he vaguely remembered from the night before, a sporting goods store sat between a small convenience store and a place that looked like it sold hats, purses, and other junk. Just like the other street, no one seemed to currently be present. Thus, Impmon felt confident no one spotted him leap onto a streetlight, slide down, and make a run for the store.

The door jingled slightly as he pushed it open, wondering briefly why doors tended to be hard to push open and handles were usually above his head. The lights were out, but most of the surrounding buildings seemed to be having similar power trouble with the fog's nearby presence anyway. Various sports balls, padding, helmets, cleats, and other items for outdoor activities hung from hooks on the walls and sat in orderly lines on shelves. The perfect organization seemed to be an open invitation for some mischief, but now wasn't the time or place for it. He was a digimon on a mission.

On the back wall, Impmon spotted his goal. It was hanging on a small hook with a tag undoubtedly describing the item's price. Of course, it wasn't like he had any money or intended to pay for it himself. If the boy felt guilty later on and wanted to come back and give the store some money, that was up to him. After all, no one could currently purchase it properly with the store's owner missing…

"I should have known some punk would try stealing with all this chaos going on," a gravelly voice growled from behind the purple virus as he reached for it, startling him slightly. "I just wouldn't have imagined it would be a goblin looting my store. Isn't this type of thing a little pathetic for you?"

Turning slowly to see who'd managed to sneak up on him, the purple rookie asked, "And isn't it a little suicidal to still be here?"

The blond man behind him was slightly overweight and wore a short beard. His mouth was twisted into a scowl towards the digimon. In his meaty hands was a tennis racket lifted from a nearby shelf, pulled back in preparation for a hard swing towards Impmon's head.

"Not to mention you're in a sporting goods store and you chose _that_ as your weapon?" the digimon continued. "That really is the least threatening object I've faced today. Couldn't you have picked something a little less embarrassing?"

"No one steals from my store and I don't care if you're humiliated by what I use to protect my property," growled the human.

Inwardly groaning at this waste of time, he snapped back, "Look, here's how it's going to be. Me, my friends, and all those kids and digimon all the stupid adults in this world are afraid of and hate are trying to stop this blue fog and the psycho who made it from wiping out all life. Now, I need this to help someone." He waved the item demonstratively. "You can either argue or attack me for it, possibly causing unbelievable chaos in the meantime until I finally get tired of being nice and actually use force to get away so we don't get consumed by the killer fog when it gets over here while you're being stubborn. Or, you can get out of here before that mist destroys you and I'll go back to saving the world. And, if it'll make you happy and get you out of my way faster, I'll have someone pay you later for it. So choose now. Fight a pointless battle or get out of here?"

The pair stared at each other in silence for a moment. Slowly, the man raised an eyebrow.

"You're saying you need _that_ to save the world and you're making fun of a tennis racket?"

"I know, but I'm not the one who actually needs it," groaned the digimon. "It's for someone else."

"My niece has an Aruraumon for a partner who kept her little sister from running out in traffic last week. Not all adults are stupid and ignore what is right in front of their faces. _I_ actually remember what happened three months ago and those jellyfish and the giant monster in the bay appeared. I'm willing to believe you actually want to help humanity," he admitted, lowering his improvised weapon. He smiled faintly, "Go ahead and take it. It's fairly cheap and I'm willing to take a small loss if it helps."

Impmon nodded, "Smart choice. Now, try listening to your common sense and get out of here before the killer fog reaches this point. I have to go ignore mine and head towards 'the building of doom' in the middle."

* * *

Guilt and an undeniable sense of failure pressed down on him, crushing out every other thought or feeling. He'd experienced similar moments of hopelessness and painful realization in the past, but someone or something would always happen to offer another possibility. This time, Tai couldn't imagine a way out of this.

Not only did it appear that everything currently crashing down on them could be traced back to him and his mistakes, he'd also progressed from nearly useless to completely pointless and even a hindrance to his friends. He couldn't even help Agumon digivolve anymore. Minus outside forces like the presence of Control Spires, the spiky-haired boy could always find a way to give his partner that power. The fact the orange rookie beside him, currently trying to break through the growing wall of failure, was not a powerful mega only proved his utter worthlessness as a Digidestined.

Takato, after spending about five minutes of describing past victories and arguing alongside Agumon that the older boy was still an important and valuable member of the team, finally fell silent. The tamer's idolization of him due to a television show might have fueled his obviously misguided belief in his current usefulness, but Takato would soon realize the truth too. He wasn't some kind of unstoppable, undefeatable, perfect movie hero. He was just a kid who once went to summer camp and played a very small role in saving the worlds, with plenty of help from others. And those days were long gone.

"What are you going to do now, Takato?" Guilmon asked, looking at the boy expectantly.

"I don't know," admitted the tamer. "In the show, Matt was generally pretty good at snapping Tai out of a depression. One way he did it was simply punching him." He glanced between Tai and the red rookie before stating, "And I _can't_ hit him. He's Tai."

"I can," a voice announced from above before a small object struck the Digidestined of Courage in the head. Jerking in surprise at the sharp pain, the older boy looked up to where Impmon perched on a lamppost. Tai didn't even remember the rookie leaving his partners side. "I've already did one pep talk today and I'm not doing another. So, physical injury works for me. Hairball, I don't care what type of crazy 'woe is me,' guilt trip you're on. Save it for later. According to your fan club," he pointed at Takato, "you're supposed to be like Hedgehog and our personal Goggle-head. Let me guess: you pull off impossible stunts at just the perfect moment and crazy miracles happen way too often, right? Well, we need that kind of thing now. So, pick those up, put them on, and act like what you're supposed to be before I set your giant hair on fire. Got it?"

Still rubbing his head, Tai looked down at the object the viral rookie had thrown at him. Lying on the blacktop, clear as day, was a pair of goggles. The lenses were a light blue set into orange, round frames. The strap was black and a price tag was still attached to it. The colors were different, but the simple shape of the goggles was comforting. He'd worn his old goggles since he was a little kid, during his time in the Digi-World, and all the way to the day he handed them over to Davis. Until this point, he hadn't realized how much he missed that familiarity. His fingers closed on the object gently.

Did Impmon actually think a pair of goggles was enough to fix everything? That he would put them on, discover a new angle or unlock a new power, and go on to regain his old confidence? It wasn't that… Wait, maybe it was. Maybe it _could_ be that simple. When he began to utterly doubt himself, he lost who he was. He lost his confidence, his self-worth, his fighting spirit, his determination, his drive to face any foe… and his Courage. No wonder Agumon couldn't digivolve; the Digidestined wasn't even Tai anymore and was losing more of who he was with each depressing thought.

He couldn't believe how pathetic his ideas had been lately. Even _if_ by some stretch of the imagination their current problem could be traced back to him, that didn't mean he was useless or even a threat to his friends. Everyone makes mistakes with consequences no one could predict. But giving up and trying to fade into the background didn't solve anything. He might not always lead the charge into battle anymore, but that didn't diminish his importance. Davis and the other younger Digidestined weren't replacing him; they were joining him and sharing the burden of two worlds' fates. When life tried to pull him away from those responsibilities, they would take up the slack. If he chose to return to the frontlines once more, they would welcome him and he would be just as valuable as before. He could still be the "old Tai" if he tried and he would find a way to succeed. He never considered failure as a possibility before and he didn't intend to now.

With a practiced motion, the older boy pulled the new goggles on his head. The item itself possessed no power, but it _was_ a symbol. Just like his crest, wearing goggles was a distinguishing mark of the days where he strove to fulfill his potential. They represented a boy, thrown into a new world and tangled in a battle against evil in the form of giant and powerful creatures, who faced everything that he encountered and never surrendered. He would remain firm between any threat and those he cared about in some form or another, even if the odds were against him. With Agumon by his side, he would never give up. He would prove that he was still that person. Somehow, some way, he would find a way to stand and fight once more…

His digivice, still in his other hand, began to glow. It wasn't the usual glow from the screen, though. The entire object was engulfed in light. Tai squinted against the illumination. A small part of his mind noticed cheerful, high-pitched giggling somewhere, but most of his attention was on the shifting shape in his hand. Kari and T.K. had described the moment their old digivices had morphed into D-3's. While this was similar to what they'd mentioned, the shape was wrong. In fact, it looked almost like…

"No way," Takato gasped. "A D-arc? Tai just got a D-arc?"

The object in his hand was definitely a D-arc. The screen was surrounded by a white ring and the buttons below were a light grey. The majority of the surface was a warm orange shade. Tai knew his expression must be one of pure shock, but couldn't decide on any other reaction to his digivice's transformation.

"And my theory is proven," smirked Impmon. "Goggle-heads cause weird miracles at random."

"I don't suppose that means you'll stop making fun of me for wearing goggles then, does it?" the tamer asked.

"No way. You're too easy a target," the rookie replied. "Plus, I still think they're cutting off circulation to your brain. But, I have proven my genius and you can be impressed by it if you choose."

Before Tai could state his belief that the goggles themselves weren't responsible for his D-arc's appearance, the orange object's screen began to glow with the familiar symbol of the Crest of Courage. In addition, a ringing started sounding in his ears and swiftly shifted into voices.

Courage. The quality of being brave and showing valor. Facing that which you fear with all of your skills and abilities, even when the situation is bleak. Risking yourself to protect or save what matters most, not what will help you the most or give you the most glory.

Bravery does not mean foolhardy and selfish sacrifice. Valor does not mean only fighting when victory is guaranteed. Someone with true tenacity will continue to stand against what he fears or knows is wrong, even when all hope seems gone. They accept help from others and offer it in return, but those with courage keep the spirit of everyone burning bright because that is who they are. Valor may bring pain and death, but that is a price accepted and willingly paid if the evil to be faced is great enough.

True bravery is demonstrated when resolve and valor remains, even when fear and doubt clouds the mind. Courage is easy when victory is assured. If loss is almost certain, that is when those with tenacity shall rise to meet the challenge. That is the real test of valor. 

Courage.

As soon as the final words registered in his mind, light swept over both him and an equally surprised Agumon. The light was blinding and a strange sense of strength accompanied it. The Digidestined experienced and unnerving feeling of… something happening around him.

"Agumon Biomerge to… VictoryGreymon!"

At this point, the boy began suffering a strange variation of vertigo. On one level, he seemed to be floating naked in a giant orange orb while strange writing and symbols orbited. On another, he was still in the street. Or rather, floating slightly above the street in an unfamiliar body. His skin was orange and reptilian in texture, but remained hidden under thick gold, grey, and red armor on most areas of his body. An extremely large, three-bladed sword rested in his grip and leaned against his shoulder, barely missing the metallic wing-like structures attached to his back. His face, covered by more metallic armor, seemed slightly longer than usual and he could almost see a horn on his nose. His limbs felt far stronger than he'd ever been before, muscles clearly defined where the armor didn't cover. His hands and feet were far different than those any human ever possessed, but were similar to those a prehistoric predator with sharp claws and fewer toes. And, to finish the oddness, he had a tail.

"Whoa, what's going on? What happened?" Tai asked frantically, looking around the sphere and the street in an effort to make sense of his current predicament. He spotted Impmon, Takato, Guilmon, and the twins staring straight at him, looking shocked and impressed. The Digidestined noticed two discomforting facts; he seemed to be larger than the others to a nearly impossible extent and he couldn't see his partner anywhere. "Agumon?"

"Tai?" the missing digimon's voice answered. It sounded like he was right beside the boy in the floating orb, but he wasn't in sight. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but where are you?"

"I'm right here… Kind of."

"Great. Where am I? And what happened to my clothes?"

"I don't think you're actually naked, Tai. This is sort of just in your head, more or less," the rookie's voice replied "…I think."

"You 'think'? What happened to us? There were voices, a light, and then…" The Digidestined paused, thoughtfully. A grin formed on his face as he looked around his orange sphere. "Did we just… Biomerge?"

"See? Impossible stunts and crazy miracles," shouted Impmon from the ground level. "Though Takato already pulled off that one a while ago, so it isn't as shocking."

"But he's awesome," the tamer argued. "He's WarGreymon, only more buff and with a giant sword."

"Either way, he isn't moping around anymore and we can get the show on the road," the viral rookie pointed out. "That fog is getting a lot closer and the Cyclops-jellyfish are starting to take notice of us."

With his new body, VictoryGreymon turned towards the blue mist. The Digidestined within felt mildly surprised how far it had progressed while he had been "moping around" as Impmon put it. While they'd been in sight when he first attempted to help Agumon digivolve, the small digimon had nearly come within a block of the group now. The tamers pulled out their own D-arcs as the mega chose to take action against the swarm.

"Guilmon Biomerge to… Gallantmon!"

"Impmon Biomerge to… Fatemon!"

Swinging his large weapon, the dual-voiced armored reptile announced, "Dramon Breaker!"

* * *

With one final giggle, the DigiGnome left them alone. The sad boy was no longer sad and that made everything alright for the digital creature.

* * *

**Man, I finally got to shake Tai out of that depression. I've wanted to do that for a while. But I had to do it in the best possible way. And that means the way that will lead to the most awesome result.**

**I also considered calling this particular chapter "Return of the Goggle-head." Tai was the original goggle-headed boy out to save the world in the first season and every other Goggle-head has strove to live up to that title. And while I know that the passing on the goggles was a moment of declaring Davis as the new individual to fill that role, I missed Tai having goggles and everything that implies. If you've noticed, Goggle-heads have an amazing amount of luck, a knack for stumbling across an answer or clue without really meaning to, or pulling off impossible stunts and crazy miracles that **_**actually end up working **_**(how did Takato manage to hide Guilmon in the park as long as he did without someone noticing, except by the pure luck that follows the tamer around? What about Davis simply wandering around everyone's dreams when MaloMyotismon stuck them in those fantasies? Plus, we have Tai and his ability to reach Agumon no matter what the circumstances, including on the internet and in the Digi-World when there was no logical way he could have heard him or been able to know he could reach him.). I'm not saying that goggles necessarily have magic powers of awesomeness that it bestows upon their owner, but they certainly act like it sometimes. Thus, I gave Tai back the title of "Goggle-head" without stealing back Davis'.**

**Reviews are deeply appreciated and help motivate me to keep writing when school tries to slow me down.**


	50. Spreading Battleground

**I believe that, judging from the responses from last time, having Tai and Agumon Biomerge to VictoryGreymon would have to be labeled as "a very good idea." To clarify a couple of things, this does not make Tai a tamer. He is still a Digidestined. He's just a Digidestined with a new trick up his sleeve. Next, he can still have Agumon Warp digivolve to WarGreymon. He couldn't before because of he wasn't really himself anymore, but he's out of his depressing moment now and back to his old self. Finally, VictoryGreymon is about to demonstrate that just because it has been a little while since Tai helped save the world directly, that doesn't mean he isn't still a force to be reckoned with.**

**Now, we'll return to the regularly scheduled program. Specifically, a little destructive fighting and an update on a few characters. Enjoy!**

"Elemental Kitsune!" the mode-changed Sakuyamon announced, the colorful foxes she summoned leaping forward and ripping apart the blue Keramon who emerged from the mist.

Moving in beside her, the robotic Biomerged vaccine added, "Laser Sighted!"

The pair of megas swiftly reduced the number of Guardian-infused rookies and vaporized sections of the blue mist. Ahead, Minervamon and Dianamon moved across the rooftops, slashing away the fog and enemies with their bladed attack to clear a space to stand before completely decimating their targets. Large pillars of fire that spontaneously appeared further away marked Marsmon's steady progress into the territory. Valkyrimon's speed and agility meant that the Biomerged digimon lost track of his position a while ago, but they didn't doubt the vaccine was doing plenty of damage.

Directly in front of them, the three angels of the group were raining down a storm of powerful attacks.

"Celestial Arrow!" called Angewomon, firing her projectile.

"Excalibur!" MagnaAngemon added.

With his blade-like arms outstretched, GuardiAngemon began to glow and announced, "Golden Ripper!"

"Whoever said 'nice guys finish last' has never seen an angel digimon on the attack," muttered Terriermon's voice as he viewed the explosion of data that followed their destructive path.

"Well, 'nice' doesn't mean 'weak' or 'pushovers,'" his partner reminded. "And angelic digimon are known for being particularly powerful."

"Gate of Destiny!" shouted MagnaAngemon, creating a large portal that started swallowing up aggressive digimon and mist alike.

"Remind me to never tick him off," remarked Terriermon's voice as the portal sealed up and the angels moved on.

The newly cleared area of rooftop looked like an island of normality in a sea of blue fog. Unfortunately, this image only lasted a moment. Five figures climbed up the sides of the building and gained positions on the roof. Their long, thin limbs and their creeping movements gave the impression of a large spider or insect, complete with six legs. For the most part, they were white with sections of blue on the horn on their head, along their back around the spikes on their spine, where the limbs attached to their body, and their feet themselves. Only the grey spikes and claws and their yellow-green eyes varied from these two colors.

"Infermon," Rika's voice identified. "Ultimate level. Only they're supposed to be red and white instead of blue and white."

"The Guardian program is affecting their appearance as well as their capabilities," explained Henry's voice from the crest-empowered MegaGargomon. "They can enter the mist without harm and are undoubtedly more durable than normal ultimate level digimon."

"Then we better not underestimate them," Sakuyamon stated in her dual voice as a small blue flame appeared on the tip of her staff. Concentrating, she began to spin it and formed a thin ring of fire that swiftly turned white-hot. With a confident smile, she announced, "Ring of Truth!"

The spinning flame circle shot across the rooftop, striking three out of five of the Infermon, but the creatures seemed relatively unharmed by her attack. One was knocked off the edge and vanished back into the mist below, but he crawled back up the side of the building with two more following him.

"How about something with a little more punch?" Terriermon's voice suggested. "Mega Bom…"

"Wait," interrupted Henry's voice. "This is still a city and it isn't even _our _city. Shouldn't we try to keep the property damage to a minimum?"

Two of the Infermon tilted their heads up and stated, "Spider Shooter!"

As the pair of Biomerged megas dodged the shots fired, Rika pointed out, "Angewomon and MagnaAngemon aren't holding back and this is their reality. A little mass destruction is preferable to the end of all life on the planet."

"Which means blast the spiders away," Terriermon explained from within MegaGargomon. "Mega Bombardment!"

* * *

"Why does this sort of thing keep happening? I'm taking a test or trying to find out my score or I'm attending a seminar and the end of the world begins again because of Diaboromon. What if this continues during college? How am I going to keep my scores up and maintain my studies if disasters keep happening? I'll end up dropping out because of my failing grades."

"Relax, Joe. You're more worked up over school than our current problem. You're going to be fine. The day you fail in school is the day Myotismon opens up a nice coffee shop. So, don't worry about that now."

The dark-haired teenager adjusted his glasses and took a tighter grip on the large, white-furred walrus currently swimming across the body of water separating them from Odaiba. Similar to how the area had been cut off in the past by Myotismon, no one was able to enter the increasingly mysterious mist. The main difference this time was that it wasn't a powerful ultimate and his minions preventing entrance, but humans who just wanted to protect the citizens from harm. The other bright side was that it was actually possible to evacuate people this time, but Joe was still forced to have his aquatic champion provide transportation since he couldn't just stay away and safe like the rest of the population.

"Fine, I can panic about the killer mist instead," he decided. "We're heading towards something reported to cause several health problems, is spreading fairly quickly, and all we know about it is from a brief news report. How do we even know if we can fight it? We might turn out to be completely useless against it."

Ikkakumon reminded, "Izzy seemed to know what is going on. If we can find the others, they can fill us in about what is going on and what we need to do to stop it."

The two of them had been in Joe's seminar when the news reached them. The Digidestined of Reliability had been listening attentively and taking careful notes (while Gomamon lay sleeping beside him, having decided that while Joe might be interested in learning all of this, he wasn't) when a frantic student burst into the room, shouting at the group to turn on the news. The professor, initially furious at the interruption, did relent enough to turn on the television in the corner of the room briefly. The man on screen began describing a blue fog taking over the city, only for Izzy and Tentomon to interrupt the news anchor with his own explanation. Though the professor tried to regain control of the chaos the announcement caused, Joe and his partner were already heading out the door.

"I still can't believe I cut class already and I haven't even begun my first official semester of college," the boy moaned. "My professor is never going to let me back in his class."

"I thought we were off that topic," the digimon muttered. "Are you saying you would have rather stayed there?"

"No," he stated instantly and firmly. "As important as my studies are to me, they aren't the only things that matter. People depend on doctors, police officers, and government leaders to do important jobs to help and protect. As a future doctor, I'll someday have that responsibility. But as a Digidestined, I already have an important responsibility. Our friends depend on us to help during an emergency and that's what we're going to do."

There was a moment of silence before Ikkakumon pointed out, "I bet your professor will accept 'world saving' as a valid excuse for leaving, even if he doesn't cancel the class today entirely. Disasters tend to distract people from learning, so no one else will be listening to his lesson anyway."

* * *

High above, flying steadily towards their home and the threat to the world, was a fiery-orange bird. She was far larger than any non-digital bird could ever be and she currently carried a passenger. Perched on the clawed foot of Birdramon, still wearing a tennis outfit and her auburn hair blowing in the wind, was the Digidestined of Love.

After one of her matches, her mother and Biyomon had come down from the stands with her cell phone. A short but frantic message from Mrs. Kamiya instantly sent the girl into action. Her mother, there to support one of her daughter's few "girl" activities, knew the teenager would have to go and accepted this fact. Sora had the power to protect those she cared about and her mother had slowly learned to let her. She would always want to keep her daughter safe and uninvolved in the battles that she would always run towards, but the woman couldn't do that anymore. The girl was growing up and she had to let her stand on her own.

She would be missing her final match of the day, but Sora was perfectly fine with this. While tennis fulfilled her desire for a competitive sport, it would always be less appealing than soccer. Her mother, however, worried about her being hurt in that rougher sport and wanted to help cultivate at least some of her daughter's more feminine traits. The girl resented these efforts in her youth, but accepted them more grudgingly as she aged as her parent's attempt to show her love. So Sora allowed a few changes to her life and tried to be more understanding of her mother's view. Worrying about getting hurt during a soccer game when the teenager faced giant digimon often enough might seem silly, but small things like playing tennis instead offered some comfort to the woman. Besides, she still managed to enjoy the occasional short game with Tai.

Tai. Her best friend since before she could remember. The person who once threw up in her hat when they were kids and didn't manage to tell her before she put it on. The boy who rescued her from Datamon. The Digidestined who bought a hairclip for her birthday, couldn't figure what he did wrong, and still tried to apologize through his ignorance of the crime. That specific instant was particularly memorable since it resulted in several conflicting thoughts concerning him. She'd watched her computer for an e-mail from him, but refused to speak on the phone to him when he called. Anyone else who might have given that same present would have been met with a smile and a "thank you" instead of accusations of an intended insult to her appearance. At the time she didn't know why she was acting so crazy about it until she opened his e-mail. Reading the words "love, Tai" at the end brought everything into focus, leaving her intensely happy and painfully afraid. When he later explained that he meant to write "from, Tai," she remembered that it was relieving and disappointing. But, Tai was still Tai and she was still Sora. Their strong friendship endured it all and they remained close.

And yet, it wasn't the spiky-haired brunette who was her boyfriend, regardless of what Impmon seemed to think or what Agumon and Biyomon wanted to believe. He never asked or even suggested such a thing after that e-mail typo and she couldn't. Even as the Digidestined of Love, the idea of trying to get closer to him and trying to put her emotions into words seemed terrifying. He already said he loved her and took it back… or, rather, didn't even mean to say it in the first place. It was clear enough they could never have a future beyond just being friends, so she pushed him back just enough that she could enjoy that friendship without trying to mentally analyze each action or word for a deeper meaning.

Then, Sora made another discovery. While she and Tai maintained a fairly close, but "just friends" status, she noticed that she began feeling closer to Matt as well. The blond musician had been a friend for several years due to their history as Digidestined, but she realized that it was more than just mere friendship she felt towards him. What she felt about Matt was similar to what she felt about Tai, but it was also different. Slowly, Sora had to admit she loved Matt. Which also meant admitting she loved Tai, but in a different way. She loved both boys in their own way. The biggest problem with that, beyond the fact it would be hard to tell either one of them, was the concept that she could love them both at the same time. Sora would have to pick one, the other, or neither eventually, but it wasn't like she loved one more than another. The choice seemed impossible.

Unlike the other crests, Love wasn't straight forward or simple. Courage, Knowledge, and even Friendship seemed so easy to understand. But her trait wasn't as clear or basic. Pure and simple compassion, the bonds between family, the closeness between friends, the unbreakable and impossible to describe connection to a digimon partner, a temporary but powerful crush, and the well-known and yet rare deep romantic love for another person were all a part of her crest and sorting through these different aspects of the same emotion were impossible. Was Matt or Tai just an extremely close friend to her, a temporary crush, or was one of them her true love?

Finally, around Christmas, she made a choice. Between the two of them, Sora decided she could accept a rejection from Matt somewhat easier than Tai. The spiky-haired boy had too much history with her and he'd clearly already stated he didn't love her with that e-mail typo event. On the other hand, the Digidestined of Friendship had various girls state they love him every day because of his band. Any rejection Matt might give could be viewed as less personal if she wanted and they could probably preserve their friendship by laughing the whole thing off as her getting caught up in the fad if it didn't end well. In the end, she made the safer choice since she couldn't simply figure out who she loved more.

And he accepted. He returned her affection and they officially became a couple. Both their lives were busy, but they still found time to watch a movie or go shopping together. She attended a large percentage of his band's performances, listening to him sing songs for numerous screaming fans. It was kind of nice to be able to speak up when the girls at school start discussing their boyfriends or crushes. But when Tai found out… he looked so hurt at the news and still managed to be supportive of her decision. That moment hinted to her that he might actually care about her more than a friend, but also proved to her that she still loved him even when she picked Matt. The extent of either one of their affection was still in doubt (he might just find it awkward for his two friends to be dating and fear being left out), so she still didn't know if this would end up being the right choice.

But Tai and the others were in danger currently. Regardless of the exact type of love, she cared about the well-being of her friends, family, neighbors, the innocent people who lived in the city, the various digidestined and digimon slowly appearing across the globe, and even those individuals who treated the digital creatures like a plague because they didn't know better. She wanted to help and protect them _all_ from harm, even though she admittedly cared more for some than others. And Tai was undoubtedly placing himself in the deepest trouble possible.

Gaining a firmer grip on Birdramon's leg, the Digidestined of Love focused more firmly on the present. Matt was out of town, along with almost everyone else, so any available people and digimon were needed in Odaiba. Though Mrs. Kamiya's message ended up being light on the details, they were enough to convince Sora of the severity of the situation. Everyone could be killed and the world destroyed. But she wouldn't let that happen.

"Just hang on. We're coming," the girl muttered. "Just wait a little longer, Tai."

* * *

His inner fan boy nearly died of excitement and shock when Tai's digivice changed into a D-arc. The same inner fan boy managed to revive long enough to freak out again when his hero vanished in a familiar bright light and a new giant reptilian digimon appeared. Ever since the day he first gained the ability to Biomerge, Takato had wondered what it would be like if that happened on the television show. Now, he could see his dream come true in real life and it exceeded anything even his extensive imagination could have hoped for.

VictoryGreymon had looked around in confusion for a moment, undoubtedly asking questions inside his head, until he finally verbalized an actual phrase to the outside world.

"Did we just… Biomerge?" asked Tai's voice.

"See? Impossible stunts and crazy miracles," shouted Impmon. "Though Takato already pulled off that one a while ago, so it isn't as shocking."

"But he's awesome," the tamer argued. The sheer exhilaration brought on by his hero gaining even more power threatened to shove all other rational thought out of his head. "He's WarGreymon, only more buff and with a giant sword."

"Either way, he isn't moping about anymore and we can get the show on the road," the purple rookie pointed out. "That fog is getting closer and the Cyclops-jellyfish are starting to take notice of us."

Both facts were true and fairly important. During Tai's earlier dark mood, Takato felt at a loss of how to break through the fog of depression to the hero he knew existed underneath. But the moment the older boy placed the goggles on his head, the entire atmosphere shifted from hopeless to awe-inspiring. The Digidestined had reversed from his spiral downwards to regain his confidence. That shift lead directly into the unexpected Biomerging. During this entire time, the blue mist advanced along with the small baby digimon. Their single-eyeball gaze remained on the children and digimon, completely focused and creepy.

Takato pulled out his D-arc and gave his partner a grin. Ai and Mako grabbed hold of their shared device hanging around the girl's neck.

"Guilmon Biomerge to… Gallantmon!"

"Impmon Biomerge to… Fatemon!"

The children and rookies vanished into the forms of two powerful megas. One was heavily armored, lance-wielding knight. The other was the more lightly-protected, sword-carrying warrior. Both viral in nature, one held a specific trait the other currently lacked. The green-eyed fighter bore a black set of wings where the first Biomerged mega wore a cape. But Gallantmon was capable of gaining flight in the right circumstances.

As the pair reached their mega levels, VictoryGreymon descended on the swarm with his powerful sword, "Dramon Breaker!"

Dozens of the small, blue creatures shattered into data under the force of the blade's impact. The large, triple-bladed weapon lacked the deadly sharp edge of most swords, but it made up for that difference with the sheer weight and power of the tool. Due to the size, the sword seemed almost too large to be wielded even by the giant reptile, and yet VictoryGreymon moved it easily around him.

"Dramon Breaker!" he called again, smashing the weapon into another group of Kuramon.

"I think your hero is over his depression," Impmon's voice remarked from his Biomerged form. "But we can't let him have all the fun, can we?"

Dark energy forming in one hand and bright light in the other, the mega hurled both towards the numberous creatures while shouting, "Balanced Reality!"

While Fatemon started assisting VictoryGreymon, Takato focused on his own abilities from within his red sphere. In theory, he should be able to mode change. Every piece of evidence suggested this capability was within his grasp. He'd done it in the past, so he should be able to recreate that event.

"Any ideas?" he whispered to his partner.

"Well, we could try thinking about it really hard," suggested Guilmon's voice. "Maybe remembering how it felt will help."

Nodding, the tamer closed his eyes as he focused on the past. The clear memory of the D-reaper, the knowledge that Jeri was trapped inside, Grani's voice, and the new rush of power that filled him as he changed all began to play in his mind. He could recall the sensation of his mega form shifting in midair, his lance and shield being replaced with a sword and spear, his armor changing to red, and his cape vanishing while a series of white wings sprouted from his back. He could remember that feeling so easily. In fact, he could almost remember how to recreate that feeling if he concentrated hard enough.

"We_ can_ do this," Takato mumbled, opening his eyes. He stared at the various orbiting symbols and unknown strangeness that existed just outside the crimson orb he occupied. His mind continued to play back the memory, his imagination strengthening his recollection of the sensation. As he mentally recreated the feeling as closely as he could, he noticed the symbols orbiting him starting to accelerate and morph. Then, the feeling of changing into his Crimson Mode was no longer just in his mind. He could actually physically feel the sensation. He grinned, "Awesome."

**And there is another chapter for my readers. I hope you liked it. In my continuing efforts to try to make some sense of the interesting and, at times, complicated relationship between Sora, Matt, and Tai without turning anyone of them into a complete jerk or out of character, I examined it from her point of view this time. **

**Her crest always struck me as less straightforward and simple than some of the others. If love was easy, there would be far fewer songs out there (and almost zero country songs). Love comes in a variety of… well, not types. It comes in different categories. It is possible to love different people equally, but in completely different ways. So, the way I see it, she actually loves both boys, just not in the same way. She doesn't know how to describe the difference in how she loves them, so she had no easy way to choose between them. How this will end up (will she stay with Matt like in the epilogue episode at the end of season 2 or end up with Tai or something entirely different) is yet to be revealed and probably won't be for some time. Romance is not the focus of the story, but it is still sprinkled in occasionally.**

**Plus, there was a little action in the chapter and Joe showed up. That means all of the Season 1 Digidestined have appeared at least once now. Which means there are quite a few fighters on the way or present that I'll have to keep track of. But I feel pretty confident so far.**

**Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks.**


	51. Innocence

**Sorry about the delay. School work and other fanfictions pushed this back for a while, but here it is. Another chapter from the tamer universe. There was one part I felt extremely guilty for writing. It was just plain mean. Still, I wrote it and you get to read it. Just try not to hate me too much (and no, it doesn't involve killing a main character again…) Enjoy.**

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* * *

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Inside of Justimon's form, there was deep confliction of what they should do and the indecision froze him in place after the last impact. On the one hand, there was all of DemiDevimon's warnings, Cyberdramon's natural desire to fight, and the fact they'd just been slammed across the wrecked remains of a village by Puppetmon on a bike when the boy distracted them which all seemed to support attacking them further. On the other hand, none of their memories presented Kazu and Guardromon as enemies and he'd risked being killed to try convincing them of the fact they meant no harm. Even if Kazu's actions were supposed to be part of an elaborate trick, it still seemed like too great a risk. Could the hat-wearing tamer be telling the truth? Was he actually their friend?

…**He was better off alone. He was never really part of a team. He knew of a real group of kids with partners, and he'd even met some personally, but he ended up alone again and again. That was just who he was. Even most of the digimon he befriended or teamed up with eventually went on their way again. Some had other, real partners after all. And he had Monodramon now. Or, rather, Cyberdramon. He didn't need any other temporary teammates.**

**And these tamers were practically strangers. Other than Rika, he'd never seen them before in his life. He only knew her because they both played the card game. Beyond that encounter, they barely knew each other. If he wanted, he didn't have to spend any more time with them. He could stay away and protect himself from further problems that being in a group could cause.**

**On the other hand, the tamers weren't the Digidestined. They didn't share any history with him. They were never used to trick him. They provided a new opportunity. This was a completely different world. He didn't have to be the outcast of the group. He could try to be something more than the only person who**_** he**_** can be stopped by. As long as **_**he**_** stayed out of his life, he could be just another tamer.**

**It would be nice to have friends again. To be able to believe someone actually saw him as a person instead of a game piece in a battle against a looming threat. The last person he trusted that didn't possess a hidden agenda was Ken. He missed his friend, but he could figure the boy's fate easily if he chose to. Even if he would never actually see him personally again. But should he deny any other possibility of friendship in this world or reach out and become part of a group?**

**Ryo smiled slightly. A lifetime of solitude would be a long and lonely one. He had the chance to create a new life here and he shouldn't be afraid of history repeating itself. The tamers offered a chance for friendship and he would accept. He might end up betrayed, abandoned, or forced to leave again because of **_**him**_**, but would try ending his previous solitude.**

**He was the Legendary Tamer. Why shouldn't he be with other tamers? Why shouldn't he have friends? It was his choice and he could try…**

…**Pain. Every inch of his body hurt and tingled. He was currently Justimon, but not for long. He knew that blocking that attack was the last thing he would ever do. But he'd protected **_**Suzie**_** and **_**Lopmon**_**. The girl's youth and sweet nature were so similar to Ken as a child. The dark-haired boy once pushed him out of danger (and suffered greatly for the action) and Ryo never gained the opportunity to return the favor. He would never see his old friend again either, but he could protect his new ones. **

**He looked down. Everyone was hurt, weak, and vulnerable. They were hurt following him into battle. It was his fault and he had to make things right. Even if it was the last thing he would ever do for them. After all, he was supposed to act like their leader now. And there was no greater action a leader can do than give everything for those who follow him.**

**He met the gaze of one specific boy. Kazu's best friend, **_**Kenta**_**. The bespectacled youth recognized just how bad it was. His face clearly showed the shock and despair for what was happening. There wasn't much that could be said at this point, but he needed to say something.**

"**Sorry, guys," Justimon muttered. "I think I'm done as your leader. Good luck and stay safe."**

**He was breaking apart. Fast. Like all those digimon Cyberdramon had destroyed in battle, they too were dying. But the others would live a little longer. Kazu, Guardromon, Kenta, the small shape that used to be **_**MarineAngemon**_**, Suzie, and Lopmon would be safe for a moment longer. That might be just enough time, however. It's amazing how often a battle can turn. All he could hope is that his sacrifice would be worth it and Devimon would be destroyed as well…**

"Devimon," the boy whispered. The memory wasn't blaming the tamers, their partners, or any humans. Instead, his death seemed to be associated with a black figure with cruel, red eyes. Did that mean DemiDevimon was wrong… or _lying_? Turning his attention back towards the present, Ryo asked, "Cyberdramon, do you think we're fighting on the wrong side?"

"We're not even fighting right now," growled his partner. "But the virus has been hiding too much."

Within his mental sphere, the tamer nodded, "Destiny mentioned that he's connected to this 'Devimon' somehow. She also said something else…" He considered the rest of her words for a moment before continuing, "And Kazu could have been killed just to prove a point. We need to reconsider a few things before we attack the boy."

"And Puppetmon?" asked Cyberdramon.

"We can still take him out," Ryo responded. "He's still a threat."

With that decision, Justimon leapt to his feet and prepared to jump right back into battle.

* * *

Ever since they first met, Kazu's partner obviously dreamed of being a knight. His speaking style and beliefs always seemed like something right out of a fairy tale. While the medieval viewpoint may seem odd for a cybernetic digimon, the boy accepted this contradiction easily. Now, it seemed that, in a way, the dream of knighthood was closer than before. If not how expected.

His oversized hands seemed clunkier, ending in stubby fingers tips instead of points. His wrists, however, were smaller and more streamlined. Most of his body was more streamlined, the bulky turbines on his shoulders gone and his helmet smoother. The robotic being was now coppery, like Guardromon, but shinier and richer in shade. Across his chest was a series of raised lines that formed the Crest of Loyalty. Like before, his pale blue lower face was visible beneath his helmet, but the visor that hid his eyes was now a dark, reflective black that sharply contrasted with the coppery metal around it. Even as the light of digivolution faded away, his right hand shifted and twisted in a mechanical fashion. After a second, the fingers were connected together by the transformation so that they appeared to be holding something. Then, with barely a thought, the vaccine mega activated his altered hand and a white light sprung out of his grasp until it reached a reasonable length. The light beam remained in place like a solid object and hummed softly with energy. Kazu, inside his brownish glowing thought bubble, identified the iconic weapon that was now part of him easily.

"A light saber? No way!" he laughed. "Chumley's going to be so jealous. Jedi knight beats medieval knight."

"Perhaps your excitement could be contained momentarily," suggested Guardromon from within the crest-enhanced HiAndromon. "At least until Puppetmon is defeated?"

The boy smiled within his mental orb, "Sure thing. Time to demonstrate our awesomeness."

Originally startled slightly by the bright light of digivolution, Puppetmon had recovered sufficiently to take another attempt at his enemy. After fighting with two megas, being controlled by Behemoth, and generally having a bad day, the sentient toy was no longer an option. Essentially, he just wanted to smash someone with a hammer and didn't really care about the consequences.

"Puppet Pummel!" shouted the wooden mega.

HiAndromon rolled nimbly out of the way of the explosive hammer, twisted slightly, and came to his feet in a battle stance. Trying to adapt to his target's changing position, Puppetmon shifted his grip to bring his weapon towards the android again. With Kazu grinning the entire time, the robotic mega performed a back flip to increase the distance between him and the attacker. While he couldn't perform the incredible leaps of Justimon, his new mode still seemed to be fairly agile.

"Will you stop moving for one minute? It's harder to kill you if you keep bouncing around," Puppetmon yelled. "Flying Cross Cutter!"

Rather than dodging the spinning, wooden projectile the living marionette threw, HiAndromon raised his transformed hand. The glowing blade of pure light hummed slightly as it moved through the air. Once more, Kazu felt reminded of the iconic sci-fi weapon. He waited for the ideal moment, his hidden eyes tracking the object's movement through the air and the calculations concerning velocity solved in the digimon's mechanical mind.

When the puppet's attack came close enough, HiAndromon swung his weapon, announcing, "Laser Sword!"

The light-based blade sliced through the flying shape, carving it in half and both pieces continued to travel for a few moments after passing him on either side. The object's wooden structure offered no more resistance than wet tissue paper. Puppetmon stared in shock at his divided weapon, his jaw dropping slightly as the pieces finally came to rest on the ground.

"No… fair…," mumbled the viral mega. "That was mine."

"_You_ tried to steal my D-arc," Kazu's voice pointed out from the mechanical being.

Puppetmon glared, "But I didn't break it. Puppet Pummel!"

With more speed and agility than the tamer would ever display in his gym glass, HiAndromon twisted out of the way of his hammer, grabbed the handle, and flipped the living toy over his shoulder. Once more, Puppetmon found himself crashing to the ground unceremoniously.

Not waiting for the sentient marionette to get up again, the mechanical mega's left hand began to transform. His fingers folded way under the shifting metal and a hole opened up on his palm. Within seconds, HiAndromon's hand had been replaced with a large energy gun barrel. The dark interior of his new weapon began to glow with a eerie green light.

"Ion Cannon!" he announced, firing a large orb of green energy from his weapon at the wooden puppet.

The blast connected with him and knocked Puppetmon flying once again. Kazu couldn't help but to grin as the energy cannon transformed back into his hand. He'd become the ultimate form of awesomeness. He was like a Jedi knight combined with a transforming robot.

"I'm… not… finished…yet," gasped the toy.

"Sorry, but this is 'game over,' Puppetmon," HiAndromon replied.

Snarling at the android, the wooden being tried to bring his hamer up again, "Puppet Pum…"

"Justice Kick!" announced Justimon, leaping abruptly back into the action and striking Puppetmon's head with his foot.

With a tired groan, Kazu's voice remarked, "Don't tell me I have to go back to dealing with both of them again. Honestly, I don't want to fight you, Justimon."

"I know, Kazu," answered Ryo from within his Biomerged form. "Your suicidal strategies points to a lack of sinister mastermind tendencies."

"So, you believe me now?"

The cyborg mega nodded, "A couple more memories are supporting you. And something this Destiny girl said."

"You met her too? That could explain why she keeps appearing and disappearing."

"She said that I would have trouble telling who to trust, but 'Loyalty' will make me see my true allies," he explained.

Kazu finished, "And since my crest is the Crest of Loyalty, you realized you can trust me." Grinning within his brown mental orb, the tamer confided, "Ryo, I can't tell you how great it is to have you back. Everyone is going to freak out when they see you're back from the dead."

Struggling to his feet, Puppetmon glanced between the two vaccine megas uneasily. The wooden being didn't seem happy about them no longer attacking each other. In fact, he looked almost afraid to see the pair united together. If HiAndromon and Justimon weren't fighting anymore, they were left with only one target.

"Too much talking while our opponent lives," growled Cyberdramon's voice impatiently.

Refusing to go down without a fight, the living toy cried out, "Puppet…"

"Justice Burst!" announced Justimon, firing at him.

With a final shout of pain, the sentient marionette broke apart. Kazu managed to enjoy a sigh of relief that the annoying Dark Master was gone before a small shape dashed into the cloud of data. It only took the avid digimon fan a second to recognize the viral rookie as DemiDevimon. He remembered a member of that particular digimon species being present when Meramon attacked and later digivolved into Devmon. The tamer also knew that particular bat had been killed, but he could almost sense that it ws the same one.

"DemiDevimon, we want a word with you," Justimon growled. "You lied to us, didn't you?"

"Of course," laughed the winged rookie. "I couldn't tell you that _I_ killed you, could I? If I did, you wouldn't be my useful, little tools. But I really don't need you anymore. I have what I need and I'm going to be one of the most powerful beings in the entire Digital World."

A familiar, bright glow engulfed the small bat as his shape morphed and grew. But the light was streaked with darker, duller streaks that shifted across the digivolving being's figure.

"What in the world did you _do_?" gasped Kazu, staring in horror.

* * *

He'd heard of Death Evolution. It was one of those legends whispered in dark corners in tones of horror. The idea of using your own death to fuel digivolution and to be essentially a mindless zombie (no offense to undead and ghost digimon like Bakemon, who are _supposed_ to like that) seemed almost sickening and wrong. But DemiDevimon had seen a possibility of how to use it without sacrificing his own life.

After collecting the data of several key dead digimon, refusing to use the data for digivolving to his champion level, the bat initiated a DNA digivolution with the deceased Vilemon, LadyDevimon. Myotismon, SkullSatamon, and Puppetmon. DemiDevimon would be the only living component in the mix and he would have complete control of his new body. Thus, he combined the process of DNA digivolution with the power of Death Evolution to reach his mega form.

The change felt dark and twisted compared to his previous experience with digivolution, but it didn't greatly concern him. He figured the sensation was just the result of combining with the dead. It wasn't just changing their data into more basic useful forms that he could use to repair damage or summoning attacks available to his fallen opponents. He was forcing the data to form back into empty shells of their former owners in order to pretend they were willing participates of a normal DNA digivolution. He should be combining his mind with five other digimon, but he felt only their empty silence. Which suited him perfectly since that meant he didn't have to share his new power.

With extreme pleasure, he announced, "DemiDevimon, Vilemon, LadyDevimon, Myotismon, SkullSatamon, and Puppetmon DNA digivolve to…"

* * *

Mr. Yamaki, Kenta, and Lopmon were extremely serious as they traveled along the forest path Floramon indicated. Suzie, on the other hand, was excited and couldn't see why they weren't just as happy. Destiny said they were really close to getting Ryo back. And finding him was the whole reason they came anyway. The young girl wondered why they seemed so uneasy.

Calumon, enjoying the presence of another playmate, was teaching MarineAngemon about ribbon dancers with the colorful ribbons that Suzie had carefully placed on her rabbit partner for the birthday party yesterday. The long strips of fabric fluttered through the air as the in-training digimon dashed between the different members of the group. While she missed getting to enjoy her party and Calumon's antics reminded her of it, she still found the game fun and occasionally joined in with the small white creature and MarineAngemon before going back to watching the more serious trio and wondering why they couldn't be happier.

Finally, bored by their sullen silence, she asked, "Why awe you so gwumpy? Wyo is weally, weally close now. Isn't that good?"

"Yeah, but we also have another problem now. Some kind of evil thing is on the horizon and we don't know what to expect," explained Kenta. "Plus, until we find Kazu or Ryo, you and Lopmon are our most useful offensive pair. MarineAngemon is better at defense or support generally and Calumon…" He glanced at the cheerful digimon who was trying to tug a ribbon off his ear before the boy shook his head and continued, "Add to that the fact we have these crests now and no idea of how or when they'll activate, and it's a lot to think about, Suzie."

"Momentai, Kenta," she smiled, quoting her brother's partner. "Didn't you tuwn into that big sea monstew thing? It was weally tough. Can't you do it again?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. It took a while to get him back to MarineAngemon after that." She had to agree, remembering that it took Calumon repeating his "Shining Digivolution" on a smaller scale to get him back to the tiny, pink mega. But MarineAngemon had told Kenta he preferred being his mega form rather than his in-training one, so they figured a way out. "I'm not even certain where to start to even try again."

"You can do it," Suzie assured. "And we'll find evewyone, stop the big meanie, and evewything will be okay."

The older boy gave her an odd look, "How can you stay that optimist? Don't you realize how bad things are? I mean, it isn't 'D-reaper on a rampage' bad, but this isn't good." He waved his hands around for emphasis. "We could be about to face some Supreme Evil Being of Doom for all we know."

"And Riley thinks _I_ worry too much," muttered Yamaki, watching the children speak.

Suzie smiled at Kenta, "We awe the good guys. Good always beats evil. And even when bad stuff happens, good stuff happens later. When Lopmon and evewyone disappeared after the D-weaper went away, they came back. When the mean Devimon was winning, you figuwed out how to beat him. Wemember? Even when Wyo died, he wasn't gone fowever. If something scawy happens, Henwy, Tewwiermon, and Lopmon will make it better. As long as we twy our best and stay togethew, evewything will be fine." Drawing herself as tall as she could manage in order to look grown up and confident, she continued, "We'll be fine. Life may be scawy sometimes, but we have to be bwave. We awe good. We can do anything because we awe heroes. And evewything will be wight in the end."

The bespectacled boy started to say something, but a bright glow erupted from the crest around the girl's neck. The white rectangle's blank surface became disturbed as pink lines formed. Within seconds, a stylized shape of a gemstone appeared. Lopmon leapt to the girl's head as a high-pitched ringing started to sound in her ears and swiftly changed into voices.

Innocence. Purity from the corruption of the world and experiences; untouchable by evil. A state all begin life in, but quickly lose as they gain knowledge of darkness and corruption. Very few can grow and learn while maintaining that delicate untainted state. Protected, that innocence eventually becomes a force that evil cannot touch.

It begins in a fragile state, easily marred by experiences of deception or cruelty. Darkness may try to swallow the tiny light, but that pureness can grow in strength until it can defend against even the harshest lessons of life. Like a gemstone, the pressures that try to corrupt and shatter can harden and strengthn the pure innocence that shines through.

The world will always try to pollute. Many see the loss of innocence as part of growing up. This is not true since you can mature without losing that simple purity of youth. Never lose that trait. Guard and cherish it as the gift it truly is.

Innocence.

"Did you hear that, Suzie?" Lopmon asked after a moment.

Though everyone else shook their heads and gave the brown and pink rabbit a blank look, the young tamer nodded (and almost unbalanced the rookie in the process). She studied the change to her crest more carefully. The picture on it was actually fairly pretty.

"Oh man," mumbled Kenta numbly. "She's already activated her crest? I'm always last, aren't I?" Shaking his head ruefully, he asked, "Does anyone have any idea of what her crest _is_?"

"Weren't you listening to them? They said it was 'Innocence.' Does that mean I'll never get in trouble again since I won't be guilty?" she replied, wondering how the older boy could have missed it since the whole thing was so obvious and flamboyant.

"I don't think it meant that," answered the rabbit-like digimon, raising her ears curiously. "There are different types of innocence."

"Like being naïve," nodded Kenta, glancing at Calumon. "Or, I guess, being super happy and refusing to automatically assume the worse, even after experiencing a bunch of scary stuff."

"I think I can hear a fight ahead," Lopmon announced abruptly. "I wasn't certain at first, but it definitely sounds like a battle."

"Ryo," asked MarineAngemon. "Pu-pii?"

She shook her head, "I can't tell who is fighting. But we need to be cautious just the same."

"Okay, we still need to go this way, but we can't just charge in blindly," Kenta stated, trying to sound confident about his words. "The best idea would be to…"

His plan was interrupted as Calumon suddenly stopped playing with the length of ribbon, grabbed his head, and produced a terrified scream.

* * *

Bad. Bad, bad, bad, _bad_. The warm and bright glow that once hid inside him, the upside-down red pyramid that helped digimon to digivolve, was screeching. It wasn't inside Calumon anymore, but it was always really close. Like it was waiting just behind him, barely out of sight. When any digimon used it to digivolve, he could vaguely feel it. But he normally ignored it since it was kind of boring after a while. But now something _wrong_ was happening.

It wasn't just that some big meanie was digivolving. He could barely tell who was digivolving even if he did pay attention and a nice digimon changing wasn't really different feeling than a mean one. Especially if it happened without going through him first. The digivolving _itself_ was _**bad**_. The spinning red pyramid was shrieking because of how it was being used. He had never really heard it make a sound before and didn't even know it could. But it was and he could clearly hear it.

It was just _wrong_. Bad, bad, bad, _bad_, **bad**. He wanted it to stop. He wanted it all to go away and leave him alone.

It wasn't like anything he'd ever felt. It was something that should **_never_** happen. It was scarier than when the mean monkey kidnapped him, when Beelzemon was mean and yelled at him after he first digivolved, and when the D-reaper had Jeri. Even if he put them all together and added never eating creampuffs again, this was still _worse_. The sound and wrongness was too clear and impossible to ignore. He wanted to cover his ears, but the noise wasn't coming through his ears. The screeching was in his head and _hurt_.

If the spinning red pyramid was still inside him instead of outside, Calumon knew it would be even worse. But even with the glowing upside-down pyramid being close to him instead of actually inside, it was still really bad. Something was digivolving that _shouldn't_. At least, not like this. Not in such a… **wrong**, _bad_, bad way.

The screeching and glowing warmth stopped finally. Whoever was digivolving was done now. But he was still afraid. Whatever just happened was just… _bad_. And it felt so close too.

**And I am ashamed of myself. Do you realize how hard it is to be mean to Calumon? It's nearly impossible. But I had to demonstrate how completely unnatural and twisted Death Evolution is. The Light of Digivolution itself tries to reject it from happening and the former Catalyst is absolutely petrified by it.**

**(And it's hard to write Calumon's viewpoint for this since he can't even properly describe how much it is bothering him. He's just too cheerful and naïve that he can't find the words. Plus, it is nearly impossible to be able to hurt him in any fashion without tremendous guilt following. I'm going to go away and feel bad about my actions now...).**

**On a brighter note, Suzie's crest is the Crest of Innocence. No one can deny that it suits her well. After all, she managed to wander into the Digital World, convince a Deva to help her find her brother and play with her, and even managed to gain the same Deva as her partner. All by being her normal, sweet, **_**innocent**_** self.**

**Finally, I've revealed almost everything about what DemiDevimon was doing except for one thing: what he is about to turn into. Sorry, but you'll have to wait just a little longer. But I think it will be worth the wait.**

**Feel free to review. I always appreciate a little feedback. Thanks.**


	52. Balance

**I must first apologize deeply for the extremely long delay on updates. Between class and stuff, I haven't had much time to write. And when I finally had a little free time, another story line for a completely different fandom attacked my brain and refused to allow anything else to be written until I paid attention to it. Basically, the idea held my creativity hostage until I agreed to write the other story. I don't really get writer's block, but I **_**do**_** get an uncooperative mind from time to time. But I finally got that distraction out of the way (for now…) and managed to write up a new chapter for this story. I hope it was worth the wait.**

Stronger creatures were emerging from the fog. Blue-tinted Chrysalimon and Keramon had joined their earlier brethren, converging on their opponents with surprising efficiency. When facing a trio of rookies, there had been very little threat and minimal effort by the invaders to harm the small group. Now, with the presence of several megas, the Guardian-infused digimon were reacting more strongly. Replacing the earlier Kuramon and Tsumemon, the second wave consisted entirely of rookies and champions.

And Tai was smiling the entire time.

Every battle he'd ever been present at, he'd been forced to remain on the sidelines. The physical capability of a single human, even the Digidestined of Courage, didn't amount to much against any semi-powerful digimon. It wasn't like he would have any effect if he ran up to a troublesome champion and punched him in the face. He still found ways to contribute to the fight in less direct means, but it was always his partner who provided the actual muscle to win the battle.

This time, he was on the battlefield. He was actually fighting alongside his partner. Their arm was swinging the sword through the air. Their weapon was pushing back the waves of aggressive digimon. It was exhilarating. Everything felt more intense and powerful than ever before. The boy wondered how he'd gone his whole life without ever Biomerging and experiencing this sensation before.

"Dramon Breaker!" VictoryGreymon shouted, swinging his blade towards a cluster of champion.

The dark-winged mega, Fatemon, added, "Balanced Reality!"

The sword swing and the pair of energy spheres impacted their targets, but only the nearby Keramon were destroyed. The Chrysalimon were injured, knocked back, but weren't destroyed. Though they were technically Diaboromon's champion level, his various stages tended to be stronger than normal anyway. Adding the Guardian program resulted in very durable digimon.

Preparing to swing his tri-bladed weapon again, VictoryGreymon was interrupted by a swift, red shape dashing by. Swinging a sword of his own, the red-armored knight went straight for the already injured champions.

"Invincible Sword!" he announced, finishing Chrysalimon off.

"Gallantmon?" the reptilian mega asked, eyeing the altered figure.

"Gallantmon Crimson Mode, technically," replied the digimon, now possessing ten white wings.

Vaguely, Tai recalled him mentioning a mode change for Gallantmon earlier when he'd been… distracted. Takato wanted to reach Crimson mode due to the fact it could fly. He also wasn't certain of how to perform the change and _Impmon_ explained it. Suddenly, the difference between Beelzemon's appearance and the picture on Izzy's computer made sense. The wings, cannon, and other changes were the result of a mode change. The Digidestined briefly wondered how many other obvious facts had slipped by while he was drowning in guilt. He needed to pay closer attention if he was going to end up gaining new abilities similar to the tamers.

Spotting another cluster of the blue-tinted champions, VictoryGreymon brought his large blade crashing down on them, shouting, "Dramon Breaker!"

"Invincible Sword!" Gallantmon added.

The two megas' attacks destroyed one Chrysalimon completely and seriously injured several more. Throwing themselves directly into the group, the pair brought their swords against the weakly struggling survivors of their earlier strike.

"Dramon Breaker!"

"Invincible Sword!"

"Bug Blaster!" shouted one of the Keramon, blasting away.

A Chrysalimon added, "Data Crusher!"

Jerking out of the way, VictoryGreymon maneuvered himself into a more secure position. Specifically, he placed the crimson knight directly behind him so that no enemies could attack his back unexpectantly. Gallantmon, seeing what the large reptile was doing, mimicked him. Fatemon, after glancing at their maneuvering, simply went after his own enemy champion.

"Blade of Destiny!" he announced, slashing a pair of Keramon.

When a Chrysalimon tried to lunge for the Biomerged mega, VictoryGreymon shouted, "Dramon Breaker!"

Behind him, Gallantmon echoed with his own attack, "Invincible Sword!"

Glancing at the shattering data freed by the pair's deadly strikes, Fatemon muttered, "You know, I think I'll go find another bunch of bugs to kill or just head on over to the 'building of doom.' I'll let you two have fun here."

"You're leaving?" asked Agumon's voice incredulously. "Why?"

Impmon's voice remarked as he took flight, "Are you kidding? Hairball is the goofy Goggle-head's hero. Fighting an army of enemies, back-to-back? This is his dream. And I don't want to listen to him go all 'fan-boy' once he figures out what he is doing. So, I wish you luck and I'll meet you at the 'building of doom'."

Judging by how Gallantmon froze and glanced over at VictoryGreymon, the tamer had just realized the enormity of the situation. Before Tai could tell him to focus, five Chrysalimon burst out of the fog and charged them as a group.

"Data Crusher!" they shouted in unison, firing yellow orbs of energy at them.

Jerking out of the way, VictoryGreymon adjusted his grip on the sword. The three blades spread further apart until it formed a weapon very different from a sword. Energy, gathering from the air and surroundings, conjugated around the three tips of the former sword. Within his orange orb, Tai adopted a determined, confident grin that evil digimon in the past had learned meant they were doomed.

"Trident Gaia!" he shouted, firing straight through the group of champions and destroying a section of the blue fog in the process.

Following the mega's example, Gallantmon turned his attention to a large group of digimon and announced dramatically, "Crimson Light!"

Another group of Guardian-enhanced creatures fell to the knight's blast. Internally, Tai winced at some of the collateral damage the battle was causing the buildings, abandoned vehicles, and even the sidewalks and asphalt of the road. His "Trident Gaia" seemed to especially cause extensive destruction. Once people got past the "they saved us from a monster" phase, everyone would start blaming the problem on the digimon as a whole and would use the damage as further evidence of why they didn't belong. After all, they were eager to help them when an army of jellyfish and Armageddemon appeared, but swiftly changed their opinion in the months since (on-line chat rooms and internet rumors adding extra paranoia to the citizens). In order to minimize the amount of backlash from the public, the Digidestined decided to keep his attacks more focused and controlled from that point on. Crushing them with a sword would be less destructive than simply blasting away with his stronger attack.

"Data Crusher!" snarled another Chrysalimon, leaping out of the mist.

Lunging forward to meet his opponent, VictoryGreymon shouted, "Dramon Breaker!"

Bringing his spear into play, Gallantmon added, "Final Justice!"

* * *

Having dropped off their load of defenseless passengers, Jay and Devidramon found at least a couple of the riders disagreeing about whether or not they should go back to the front with the teenager and virus type. The boy, Kyo, firmly stated he and Mikemon should come help. Just as stubbornly, he was trying to prevent his sister from coming back. Even though Mari clearly didn't want to risk Pafumon getting hurt, her expression was equally determined as her brother's. If her brother insisted of fighting back against the strange digimon, she would join him or die trying. Jay could understand the desire to prove yourself to our older siblings, even though he was an only child. Even when terrified by the strangeness of the digital world and some of the more aggressive inhabitants of it, Riku, Hiro, Ren, and Tammy would be ready to face it. And, if they wouldn't run away, _he_ couldn't do it either. The desire to be as brave, strong, and tough as the older kids would motivate him to face his fears. Besides, it couldn't be _that_ bad if they stayed together.

Looking back, his logic might be considered crazy, but that seemed to be how Mari's mind was working too. She wanted to be a hero, a real digidestined, and prove she was just as good as her older sibling.

Kyo, on the other hand, wanted to guard and protect his sister. It was his job as the older brother to keep her out of danger, but also felt the responsibility of being a digidestined and needed to fulfill that perceived duty. Innocent people were in danger and he and Mikemon had the power to fight back. They could defend against the threat and the boy and his feline partner intended to.

Devidramon suggested just leaving both kids behind, but Jay decided on another strategy. The black-haired teenager placed both children and small digimon on the back of his red-eyed champion, promising Kyo that he would keep Mari safe at all times. She deserved a chance to make her own decisions and, considering how things were progressing, she'd probably be safer on the battlefield with them to protect her than on her own. Thus, complaining about how he's not supposed to be a flying taxi service the whole time, Devidramon took flight back towards where they left Jeri and Leomon earlier.

Before they found them, however, Jay and his partner spotted another group of digimon attacking the mist and the blue creatures. From their aerial position, the DigiDestined could spot a giant insect, a pair of rabbit-like beings, a fast pink shape, and a very familiar purple fox. Not waiting for the boy to speak, the viral champion dropped down towards the clearing in the fog.

"Hey, Ren," called Jay over the sounds of battle. "Having fun? Did you get Izzy to the T.V. station safely?"

"Yes and yes," the adult smiled, glancing over at the small group of arrivals. "Brought some friends with you?"

The teenager nodded, "Kyo, Mikemon, Mari, and Pafumon. Of course, you've gained a couple more friends too."

In addition to the reddish-brown haired Izzy and the apparent champion form of Tentomon, there were two more kids and three more digimon. The blond boy seemed completely on edge while the brunette girl stood confidently in the middle of the street in her pajamas. Jay briefly wondered about her odd attire, but didn't ask about it. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Willis, his partners Gargomon and Turuiemon, Mimi, and her partner Lillymon," Ren named swiftly, gesturing at the children and the battling digimon. "Apparently they're from America."

"They travel fast," remarked Kyo.

"You have no idea," Izzy muttered.

Mimi, after giving Jay a quick glance over, mentioned, "You would look so much nicer if you were wearing some warm colors. Or _any_ colors, really. Black may be slimming, but too much makes you look rather depressing and pale. Maybe, if we cut your hair and add…"

"Mimi, I really don't think he wants a makeover," interrupted Izzy.

"Actually, I think she's got a point. Jay _does_ need some work," chuckled Devidramon, earning a glare from his partner. "He could be fixed up so he isn't nearly as embarrassing to me."

"His hair is a little long," Mari added.

Rubbing his head tiredly, Jay asked, "Does anyone else want to make a comment on how I look?"

Kyo, watching his small champion run forward to join the fighting once more, shrugged, "No, I'm good."

"Fine," sighed the black-haired DigiDestined before looking at Ren. "So, do we want Doumon or Gigadramon?"

"Considering the space restrictions and the fact we already have a couple of larger digimon, I vote for the shaman," suggested the antique store owner.

"Works for me," Jay nodded. He turned to his viral partner, "Go have fun as a champion, then."

"With pleasure," grinned Devidramon before pouncing towards the closest opponent. "Crimson Claw!"

The black-haired youth pulled out his old digivice and handed it to the adult. Smiling slightly, Ren twisted a section on the bottom of Jay's digivice and produced a short cord that he plugged into the port on his own digivice. Both screens glowed slightly and he pressed a button on his own digivice. The screen lit fully and digivolution activated.

"Youkomon digivolve to… Doumon!"

The purple fox vanished to reveal a more humanoid shape. Wearing flowing robes, she looked very formal and mystical in her shades of grey. The fur on her face and tail were an icy blue and her gaze was unwavering.

Producing a series of crimson rectangles of paper, she sent them flying towards her targets with the solemn statement, "Exorcism Scrolls!"

When the red paper talismans were coating the blue creatures, the ultimate detonated them and removed a large portion of the enemies. Jay and Ren exchanged grins. It was just like the old days.

* * *

Wading through the blue mist and killing the attacking digimon, the small group slowly made progress towards their goal. The two champions handled the wide areas of damage, using fireballs and hurricane-level winds to sweep away mist and monsters. The smaller digimon, Kotemon and DoKunemon, focused on any low-level digimon RedGreymon or SandYanmamon missed. The humans, semi-protected behind the defense their partners created, could have remained out of the fight fairly easily. The younger members, however, had different ideas.

Toru, armed with a stick, was swinging at any baby or in-training opponent he could find. His technique resembled an odd mixture between a form of Kendo and a kid simply swinging a baseball bat. The boy might not be using the most effective strategy for defeating an opponent, but his attacks were enthusiastic and forceful enough to compensate. Some of the Kuramon he hit bounced several times across the blacktop after impact.

Dressed in blue, her high heels in her hands, Zuki stood beside the brown-haired boy while snarling at the insanity of Toru to be attacking digimon directly. Ignoring the hypocrisy of her argument, she was stabbing her shoes' heels at the Kuramon and Tsumemon's large eyes. Each time she hit her mark, the blue creatures squealed and scrambled backwards. Kotemon and DoKunemon, remaining in near proximity of their partners, swiftly dispatched any she disabled. The blue-haired girl continued to share her anger with Toru's suicical actions, managing to make "hero" sound like an insult.

The youngest member, May, had been planning on a day at the beach. Between the arrival of the strange fog and the news broadcast, she never managed to make it. She still had her rainbow dufflebag, but didn't have anything much to help her situation like Toru's stick or Zuki's high-heeled shoes. At least, until she remembered her spray-on sunscreen. Working together with Wanyamon, she sprayed the substance in the blue digimon's large eyes and her partner used Smile Fang on the blinded Kuramon and Tsumemon. She listened to the amusing exchange of Toru's confident boasting and Zuki's rants about his over-inflated ego, wondering when the pair would admit they were in love with each other already.

Riku and Hiro were in discussion, glancing at their partners and the slightly larger digimon starting to arrive. May couldn't hear what they were saying, but they looked extremely serious. She could identify baby, in-training, rookie, and now champion digimon emerging from the mist. Without the addition of the adults' partners, the blond girl knew the swarm of enemies would have overwhelmed them a while ago. But the stronger arriving creatures were slowing down progress, causing RedGreymon and SandYanmamon to focus more strongly on them and allowing more weaker digimn to slip through.

With a nod, the cap-wearing man handed over a clunky piece of technology the girl deduced to be another form of a digivice. Riku swiftly produced a cord from Hiro's digivice and attached it to his. Both men grinned and looked expectantly at the large reptilian digimon.

"RedGreymon digivolve to… ShineMetalGreymon!"

Light engulfed the creature and his shape grew into his ultimate form. Sections of his chest, his arm, and his head were now covered by reflectively bright metal. Red hair stuck out from under his gleaming helmet and raged purple wings jutted out of his back. He gave his partner a short nod of thanks before the compartment on his chest opened up.

"Giga Destructor!" the orange reptilian being shouted, opening fire on several blue-tinged champions.

May, staring at the destructive capability of the ultimate, didn't realize how distracted she'd become until Zuki's voice switched from angry ranting to panicked.

"May!"

The blond girl turned in time to spot a blue rookie, Keramon, break through ranks of protective digimon and headed straight for her. Unfortunately, she was too far away for Kotemon or DoKunemon to be able to help. And the digidestined knew her own partner wouldn't stand a chance. So, when she spotted the form of her in-training friend lunging at the aggressive rookie, the girl switched from fear for her own safety to fear for Wanyamon. She reacted on impulse.

"Bug Blas…" began Keramon, but May's container of spray-on sunscreen smashed into his mouth after she threw it and distracted him from attacking her partner.

"Smile Fang!" he announced, biting down hard on the thin arm of the rookie.

Desperately, the girl ordered, "Get out of there. Now."

Hissing, the Keramon tossed Wanyamon away. May dove and caught her blue-furred partner, keeping his act of heroism from causing harm. Kotemon, reaching the girl's attacker, tried to bring his fire-covered Kendo sword down on the blue rookie. Keramon, however, dodged the armored-covered reptile and headed back towards May.

Hugging her partner protectively, the blond digidestined glared at the charging rookie. A series of beeps and a glow emerged from her digivice clipped to her dufflebag.

"Wanyamon digivolve to… Gaomon!"

The small blue-furred head she'd been holding leapt out of her arms and placed himself in front of her, but no longer in the form she'd always known. He was larger now and shaped like a biped canine, complete with furry tail. On his hands were a set of red boxing gloves and a thin, red scarf was tied around his head like an action star about to enter the final battle. Her partner waited for the creature to near before he attacked.

"Gao Rush!" he announced, rapidly punching Keramon. Not waiting for the attacking rookie to recover, he immediately shifted into a spinning whirlwind of punches, "Double Backhand!"

The aggressive Keramon broke apart into data under the blue-furred canine's onslaught. Satisfied the rookie was truly gone, Gaomon turned back to look at his partner.

"Are you okay, May?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, still absorbing the realization that her friend was now at the same level as Kotemon and DoKunemon. Unlike Toru, she hadn't spent much time wondering what her partner would someday look like. She was happy with the fuzzy little head and striped tail that she'd originally met. But now, he'd digivolved to protect her and could take care of himself. He looked so different from Wanyamon, but she could still see her friend in there.

Grinning, she instructed, "Go get them, Gaomon."

* * *

Within the Biomerged form of Fatemon, the twins laughed at the sheer joy of flying. No matter the situation, the young pair loved the sensation of soaring. Even their partner couldn't deny the way that flying could provide a sense of relaxing fun on a good day or comforting safety on a bad. Wings provided greater options of escape, attack, or just a way to observe the twins having a good time.

Of course, the scenery certainly put a slight damper on the mood. The blue mist engulfed the streets and buildings below, hiding any sign of the digimon who lurked beneath the surface. Shortly after they left behind the pair of Biomerged goggle-heads, the mega had flown too close to the Guardian program and several Chrysalimon had suddenly sprung up and attacked. As fun as it would be to slash away at the champions, Fatemon launched himself further into the air before using a few blasts of Balanced Reality to get rid of them. Since no other digimon immediately appeared, he assumed they were more concerned when someone was closer to the fog than at a distance and he simply stayed away.

In the distance, he could sometimes spot other powerful digimon attacking the blue mist and creatures. He could even swear he spotted MegaGargomon and Sakuyamon at one point, but the green robotic digimon was too small to be the familiar Biomerged being. On the one hand, he could go help them take out some of the blue creatures. On the other, no one seemed to be in any real trouble and they were supposed to meet at the "building of doom." If the similarities to the D-reaper continued, the number of the smaller entities that were destroyed didn't matter. You had to take out the main source at the center in order to make a difference. Thus, Fatemon continued his earlier decision he'd chosen when he left behind the impending fan-boy freak out. He was heading for the building that tried to fry any digimon who got too close.

"I've _got_ to be crazy. Actually, _all_ of us are," Impmon's voice muttered sarcastically. "Only_ I'm_ the only one who had a Voice of Insane Death Attempts show up and tried to get me killed even when I _was_ dead. He'll probably love the fact I'm heading for the bug-zapper building again."

Ai's voice asked, "Impmon, who are you talking to?"

Internally snarling at himself for both ranting out loud _and_ for bringing up the weird voice he encountered in that dark dimension he hadn't mentioned to anyone else up until this point, he replied carefully, "No one, munchkin. Just talking to myself."

"Did you answer yourself back?" asked Mako, grinning from within the mental sphere he shared with his sister. "Because Terriermon said that's a sign of craziness."

"He_ would_ be an expert in that since he is definitely insane," chuckled the digimon portion of the Biomerged mega.

The twins giggled for a few moments before Ai suddenly remarked, "Is that a bird?"

Turning his attention to what she'd spotted, Impmon could see why she would be uncertain about the figure's identity. While it flew and had wings, the creature circling a mist-enshrouded building was too large to be a regular pigeon or sparrow. After mentally checking his directions, he realized the avian was circling the "building of doom."

"Why don't we go find out?" he asked, folding his ink-black wings and dropping to a lower altitude.

The unknown being was covered in creamy-white feathers with a few markings on her head and tail were a honey-yellow, as were her wing tips and feet. The shades were subdue enough that the colors wouldn't be considered annoyingly bright. She was clearly a digimon and bore a similarity to the pink bird, Biyomon. Just as obvious was the insanity of such a low-leveled digimon to be present in the middle of the blue mist.

"Hey, toots," Fatemon called. "I'd get away from there unless you have a death wish. Killer creatures have been coming out of the fog."

The avian digimon jerked in surprise, apparently too distracted by her interest in the building to pay attention to the nearby mega, and glanced over at him. Her eyes were also golden-yellow and were both concerned and determined. It was a familiar expression, one worn by most partnered digimon at some point or another. In fact, Impmon could remember having that look himself when the twins were in trouble. He instantly realized why the bird was here, flying above the deadly blue fog.

"She's in there," she stated. "Tammy is in there, somewhere. She needs my help, but I can't get in." She turned back, looking at the building. "I made her a promise once. And I have to keep it."

"Hold on," Fatemon stated firmly after a moment, examining the building more closely.

The fog was running down the sides of the building like a waterfall, suggesting it was coming from inside and pouring down. The lack of buzzing gave the impression that the bug-zapper quality of the place was turned off. At least, he hoped so. Since the white-featherd digimon was hovering near the seventeenth floor, it would be easiest to enter that way.

He was supposed to meet the others here, but that didn't mean he couldn't help this bird find her kid first. He understood how important a promise to your partner could be and the fact this rookie was willing to remain in the middle of the blue fog-engulfed city proved she was just as stubborn about keeping it. Besides, didn't Dee say something about helping people out?

Drawing his sword, the Biomerged mega announced, "Blade of Destiny!"

He slashed the mass of fog, destroying a section of blue mist and the window behind it. Taking advantage of the gap, the avian dove into the building. Grimacing slightly at the small rooms and hallways inside, Fatemon swiftly following her and dedigivolved as he entered in order to be able to maneuver. He had already tried moving inside a building as a mega once today. Unless something tried to harm the twins or him, he would make due as a more maneuverable rookie for the moment. As he, Ai, and Mako landed in the room, barely missing a stream of flowing mist in the middle of the floor, the hole was covered once more by the Guardian program pouring from the windows on the higher floors and darkening the room slightly.

"Alright, let's see if we can find your partner, toots," Impmon remarked.

"You didn't have to do this," she slowly reminded, looking at the purple rookie and the young pair of humans who were earlier combined together curiously, but didn't immediately ask about the entire concept of Biomerging due to more important things on her mind. "I could have found a way on my own somehow. I'm sure you're supposed to be doing something more important than helping me."

"We _want_ to help," stated Ai. "She's your friend and she's in trouble. If one of the big kids needed help, us and Impmon would help."

Mako continued, "That's how it works. Impmon is our best friend and plays with us, cheers us up, and we love him. And we're partners, which means we work together to stop bad guys, save people, and act like grown-ups."

"Because we're tamers, we're supposed to help people even when it is scary and hard. But that doesn't mean we don't like to help people anyway," added his sister. "She's your partner and you need to be with her."

The avian digimon smiled slightly, "You two remind me of a boy I used to know. He had the rudest, loud-mouth blue pest of a partner, but the kid was so sweet." She glanced at Impmon, "Thank you."

He shrugged, "I figured this would be mildly more entertaining than simply waiting around for everyone."

"You're not fooling me with that 'couldn't care less' attitude," remarked the white-feathered rookie. "Anyone who has a partner…" she glanced at the twins briefly, "or _partners_ that are such a perfect mixture of sweet children and responsible digidestined can't be motivated simply by _that_ excuse."

Before anyone could correct her by explaining the twins were tamers or Impmon could argue that it was just out of boredom that he was helping her (he still had to maintain an image… or at least _try_ to), another example of weird events struck. The white rectangle around Mako's neck began to glow. Purple lines appeared across the surface, moving in a curved shape. In moments, a circle was formed on the crest, but the shape was divided down the middle so that half was solid purple and half was white beyond the outlining.

Accompanying the unexpected light was a high-pitched ringing in the rookie's ears. Glancing at the twins, he could tell they heard it too. The sound swiftly morphed into a voice or voices (it was hard to tell if it was a single speaker or many) that suddenly made Jeri's earlier questions after her particular light show made more sense.

Balance. A state of perfect harmony of differing parts to create a greater whole. Both sides equally represented and supported. Neither aspect completely dominant or destroyed. Existing in the domain between a child's carefree nature and an adult's heavy responsibility, blissful innocence and painful knowledge, untainted purity and sinful corruption, shining light and blinding darkness, absolute joy and agonizing despair, truth and lies, predestination and free will, who you want to be and who you are meant to be.

It is difficult to walk the fine line that borders all extremes, but the location in the middle of everything allows true strength to be found. Neither denying the purifying power of light or embracing completely the corrupting darkness, but drawing upon both in equal portions and preventing one from overwhelming the other. The happiness of childhood tempered by adult responsibilities. Necessary cruelty mixed with loving kindness. Rather than being black or white, life exists in the grey.

Beware the extremes. Too much innocence can mask the brutal truth. Focusing on only the burden of responsibility will destroy the simple joys of life. Falling too far into light can strip away the harsher strength. Drowning in too deep of evil will steal away everything you love. Only in the area between is it possible to retain a perfect harmony with all aspects of your potential.

Balance.

Blinking at them, the avian digimon asked, "Do I want t know what just happened?"

"Probably not," answered Impmon. "It would just confuse you. But I think it was supposed to be good thing at least."

"That was so cool," smiled Mako. "The lights and funny people talking, like out of a movie. Can we do that again?"

**Finally got this chapter finished. I also got to demonstrate the DigiDestined's style of digivolution. As I mentioned before, there always seems to be an outside force necessary to reach the ultimate level in the past (crests, DNA digivolution, blue cards, etc.). These guys use each others digivices to act as secondary power source, treating another person's digivice like a crest. To reach the mega level, it would take all five digivices attached together (two sets where they are connect already for digivolution to ultimate and the lone digivce of the intended mega). This would end up with, at the best, two champions, two ultimates, and one mega. The combinations of who would be reaching ultimate and mega means that they can't just digivolve at random and the kids would have to remain in very close contact at all times for their partners to go beyond the champion level. It would mean their fights would be have to be more planned. Hope this is semi-understandable explanation… If not, I'm sorry and hope I'll be able to make it more comprehensive later.**

**ShineMetalGreymon is my creation (due to the fact RedGreymon doesn't have an ultimate and I didn't want it to be just MetalGreymon since his other forms are similar but slightly different from Agumon and Greymon). The changes are cosmetic (shinier metal) and slightly more powerful versions of the attacks. In addition, the yet-unnamed Biyomon look-alike is my creation. You'll be seeing more of her soon. And "Tammy" too...**

**And another crest has been activated. I think it is fairly appropriate, for the kids and Impmon both. They have fairly clear dual aspects to them: the kids are both tamers and still **_**kids**_** (not to mention the whole boy/girl thing and the fact they have to balance between Ai's wants and Mako's wants so that they get along instead of squabbling constantly). Impmon is even more obvious. While he is a good guy, he is not a saint. Nor should he be since that would completely go against his character. He isn't supposed to get along great with everyone. He's a trouble-maker and always will be.**

**Reviews are welcomed. Let me know what you think. Thanks.**


	53. Breakthrough

**Stupid, annoying, papers and finals… So much delaying and distracting… School is evil and is trying to prevent me from writing. I'm sorry about the extremely long wait. I've been working on this in my free time, but I seem to be having less and less free time around this time of the year. Plus, my brain got dragged away again temporarily, but I yanked it back to this story finally.**

**I know some of you have been looking forward to this chapter. I hope it doesn't disappoint you. If nothing else, it will entertain **_**me**_** somewhat. The majority of the chapter goes over the same event, but from two very different viewpoints. One is mostly focused externally while the other is paying more attention to internal events (complete with lots of really long sections of flashbacks). Hope it isn't too confusing.**

**And, finally, you get a new chapter. Enjoy.**

_It was almost ready. A new, perfect body that he would use to destroy Willis was forming beneath the concealing and deadly mist-form of the Guardian program. He was already able to create low-level drones out of the material. The champions and ultimates were designed to be even more durable than his normal unusually-powerful forms and could actually remain intact against a mega's attack for a time. Of course, creating the numberous weak rookies and lower drones currently scurrying around was easier to mass produce and were intended to overwhelm in numbers instead of overpower. Besides, the small creatures were enough to deal with humans. Now, he was cutting back on producing Chrysalimon and Infermon in order to focus on the new mega form._

_The number of megas attacking his drones was interesting. In addition to those individuals he had used to assist him, there were those strange digidestined who combined with their digimon. Instead of only three or four megas that he had assumed to encounter, he could detect twice as many of those combined megas. He would have to take that into account._

_The DADP building, the central hub of the spreading blue fog, might currently limit his ability to spread upon the internet because of the isolated nature of the computer systems, but it also offered protection. With the type of planning that allowed him to survive his last encounter with the digidestined, he also decided to prepare a back-up plan. He would be ready in case the worst should happen and he was defeated. No one, not the digidestined, not the strange combining pairs, nor the human woman still inside the building would stop him. He __**would**__ destroy everything in both worlds and he __**would**__ personally destroy the boy who was rightfully his partner. He would not fail._

_

* * *

_

While the white avian digimon knew her partner was somewhere inside, she didn't know _where_ exactly. The bird wanted to find her partner quickly and best way to accomplish that was, unfortunately, to split up.

"You know, I think we've been splitting up all day," grumbled Impmon. "We can't seem to go five minutes without our group growing smaller."

"But it isn't too bad this time," Ai pointed out. "She's just in another hallway. We're not really that far apart."

"If someone gets in trouble, it won't take long for help to show up," added Mako. "So we can rescue her."

Currently, the trio was creeping down a darkened hallway while avoiding the river of blue fog that ran down the middle. Whenever they encountered a doorway to an office, they would peer inside and find only another trickle of mist pouring out of the computer screens as if the piece of technology was bucket of water dumped on its side. If they had to cross the streams of blue fog, the rookie watched carefully as the young twins jumped over the obstacle. As they moved towards the center of the building and away from the limited light that made it through the covered windows, it grew darker and darker. Eventually, the virus was forced to light a small flame on his finger tip so they didn't accidentally stumble into the fog blindly.

"I'm not sure how much help that bird would be to us in a dangerous situation anyway," remarked the purple rookie. "At least, not until we find her kid. Maybe afterward, if she can digivolve, she'll be better back-up. Until then, we can take care of things ourselves. And even take care of her if she starts freaking out about something."

The young pair nodded in agreement, their eager expression illuminated by the flickering flame. The activation of their crest seemed to have boosted their confidence about everything. Impmon had to admit that having some new item of power available did appear to improve the odds.

Ai did momentarily frown, "But how old is her partner? Is she our age or like the big kids? What does she look like? What if we don't recognize her partner when we see her?"

"Munchkin, I think we'll know," grinned the virus teasingly. "There isn't exactly a surplus of people here so far, so she'll probably be the first kid we run into."

The girl was about to answer her partner, her expression twisted into one of amusement and mild indignity, but all three paused as they heard a faint scratching sound further down the hall. Frowning, Impmon increased the size of the portable fireball and illuminated the hallway further. A quick movement at the edge of the lit area confirmed the rookie's suspicion.

"More of those stupid Kuramon," he muttered. "They better stay out of our way."

The small, blue creature scrambled down another hallway, away from the trio and out of sight. The group relaxed slightly, not because they feared a single baby level digimon and were glad it was gone, but because it didn't look like they would have to deal with a new swarm of the creepy beings scurrying at them. Before they could start moving again, a pained squeal erupted from the direction the Kuramon vanished.

Debating mentally between investigating the sound or moving the twins away from it, Impmon quickly decided that looking into the situation would be a better idea as long as he kept the pair behind him. If some multi-headed monstrosity was slinking around the building, it was better to find out quickly. Carefully, he edged his way closer to the hallway junction. Undoubtedly, the glow from his fire was alerting whatever was with that Kuramon to their presence, but it was too late to fix that problem and he might need the flames momentarily.

Preparing himself for a possible fight, Impmon leapt around the corner and readied his attack. A second later, he felt his jaw drop in an undoubtedly comic fashion. Out of all the possible scenarios he could have considered, what he was actually seeing was not one he would have devised.

In addition to the Kuramon from earlier, he could see two more scampering around without any concern for the blue fog flowing down the middle of the hall. More startling was the fourth individual. Though her blond hair had nearly completely escaped from her earlier bun, Impmon could recognize the woman who'd been in the Kamiya household with _his_ partners. Even in the flickering light, he could make out places on her clothes where she hadn't managed to remove the batter Mrs. Kamiya splattered across her before it stained the dark fabric. In her hand she held a length of computer cord that she was currently wielding like a whip against the three baby digimon while her other arm was held rigidly against her chest. It wasn't a skillful or even accurate display of fighting, but the woman was putting a lot of effort into her attempts to combat the Kuramon. The earlier squeal of pain gave proof that she did occasionally hit her mark. At no point did she get near the mist or the creatures themselves.

She glanced over at the rookie who was intruding on her fight. She didn't look relieved at the arrival of possible help or frightened of another possible enemy. The grey-eyed woman simply looked angry and determined. Which was perfectly fine with Impmon since he wasn't that happy with the person who tried to take his twins away anyway.

"Impmon, what is…?" whispered Ai, edging around the corner too. She stopped when she spotted the adult. "Uh-oh."

"Get away from that child," the woman snapped suddenly, whipping the cord sharply and successfully striking another Kuramon hard enough for it to squeak in pain. "I won't let you cause any more harm. Especially to innocent kids, _digimon_."

The rookie shot her a glare, "Are you completely stupid?" When she didn't receive an immediate response, he turned towards the closest baby digimon. "Badda Boom!" he announced, hurling his fireball before summoning another one to keep the area illuminated. His attack destroyed the Kuramon, shattering the creature into data. Turning his attention back to the now slightly-distracted-from-the-baby-digimon human, he continued, "I'm not going to hurt them or whatever is going on in your head. I'm not leaving them either, especially if they're somewhere this dangerous. Actually, _you_ shouldn't be here either, toots."

Mako, edging into view and joining his sister, asked carefully, "We're looking for someone. Do you know if anyone else is here?"

"Don't bother, munchkin," the child's partner advised. "I doubt we'll get anything useful out of Ms. Crazy."

Right after the words left his mouth, he recognized that the woman was not in a joking mood at all. All of her attention suddenly focused completely on the purple rookie, ignoring the presence of the twins and the two Kuramon still present. Instead of the earlier _general_ hatred, her glare described a very specific hatred and fury. She no longer just despised him for being a digimon or because of her belief of the danger he posed to his partners for some reason, but because of some new and stronger reason. Impmon briefly wondered if this woman was going to display a reaction of rage similar to Rika on her bad days.

"I am _not_ crazy," she shrieked, snapping the cord in her hands like a whip again.

This time, it was in his direction instead of towards the remaining Kuramon. Her aim was still bad enough with her improvised weapon that he wasn't hit, but her fury-fueled attack towards him set the rookie's teeth on edge. The blond-haired lady was already fairly unpopular with him and she wasn't helping her case. The idea of letting some random digimon take her out or throwing a fairly large fireball at her head (or maybe tossing her out a window) was sounding much more appealing. On the other hand, the act of attacking her would only provide some mild enjoyment and wouldn't solve any of the bigger problems. Still, she seemed determined to express her current feelings fairly clearly and aggressively.

Continuing, she snarled, "How many times, from how many people, did I hear the accusations of insanity? One dream and my childhood becomes nothing but therapist, pills, and whispers and snickers from everyone. It was all fake and I _know_ that, but that dream is still haunting me since no one will ever let me forget."

She jerked her electric cord again, coming close enough this time to make Impmon yank back instinctively and to urge his partners silently backwards. Her rant was only making a little sense, but he was beginning to think she was a little sensitive about being called "crazy." It also sounded as if she planned to unleash _all_ her pent-up anger on him.

"I was fired, not because I failed at the job I was given, but because they could call me 'insane' and no one else would have to get in trouble if they blamed 'Little Crazy Tamiko Mizutani.' I was used by a monster to change my creation into a nightmare, turning me into a fool as well as the local lunatic. Memories of the stupid dream keep popping into my head. I know it is fake and I've spent so long trying to forget it…" She gave a wordless snarl and snapped the cord at one of the Kuramon. "It isn't real. It was never real. It's just a dream. This is reality. That was a lie. The place, the events, and everyone were fake. It isn't real. It isn't real and never was. It was a _dream_."

"Toots, if you're trying to prove you aren't crazier than Calumon on a sugar rush," remarked Impmon, eyeing the increasingly unstable-sounding woman, "you're not doing that great a job."

"Impmon, I think she's crying," whispered Ai, staring at the adult uneasily.

Even with the unreliable lighting, the purple rookie could make out a hint of angry tears in the corner of the woman's eyes. She jerked her improvised whip again, actually succeeding in landing a glancing strike on the closest Kuramon. The burning fury in her expression was dying down from the earlier raging flames to mere glowing embers. To replace the lost emotion, she seemed to be adopting a mixture which included the remaining anger, frustration, confusion, and despair. Unfortunately, her rant and general behavior up to this point made it difficult to tell if her array of emotions were directed towards him, the Kuramon, the world in general, or herself. Either way, she was expressing her negative feelings with violence against anyone in range.

"It was never real; never anything more than a dream. None of them existed," she recited stubbornly, her gaze staring unfocused away from Impmon and his partners. It was entirely possible she wasn't even aware of their presence anymore. She hadn't responded to his last words. The viral digimon began to consider the idea that she really was crazy and her mind had completely snapped. "_This_ is reality. _That_ was just a dream. I can't live in a fantasy, believing in something my mind invented that isn't true. It is fake." Her voice was becoming almost frantic, "Why can't I forget? Everything is dragging that dream back."

"Takato said he had a couple dreams come true," Mako mumbled, causing the lady's head to snap to attention at the child's voice. "He said he saw Rika and Renamon in one before he met them. Then, Rika told him to stop bringing up that weird dream. But he said it was proof dreams are important. Maybe your dream is important too."

She shook her head, "Not mine. It ruined my life and took forever to get past." She snapped her cord again in frustration, the improvised whip failing to come close to any target. "I was too stubborn to admit the impossibility and tried to convince people it was true when anyone could see it was fake. I can't go back to that. I have to remember what is real. I _have_ to."

"Cutting Wind!" a semi-familiar voice announced before a sharp blast of air streaked by Impmon and the twins to strike one of the Kuramon. The jellyfish-like creature produced a pained squeak and shattered apart, seeming to exist in two separate halves before breaking into pure data. The speaker swiftly created another slicing gust of air directed towards the remaining baby digimon, shouting, "Cutting Wind!"

With the final Kuramon destroyed, the speaker glided into the illuminated section of hallway. The white avian rookie landed carefully, avoiding the mist, and stared at the woman anxiously. The feathered digimon cautiously studied the adult, her honey-golden eyes finally coming to rest on the blond-haired individual's face.

Slowly, almost timidly, the bird whispered, "Tammy?"

* * *

The jellyfish-contact lens hybrids, so similar to those that flooded the city a few months ago, had begun to start to bother her when she began ripping cords out of the computers in other offices. First, just one was after her. Trying to discourage it with one hand still semi-numb from the blue mist was a challenge, but she managed to pick up the technique for using her scavenged computer cord. As she progressed down the hall to other offices, another one of the one-eyed digimon showed up. By the time the third appeared, her efforts to move towards her final goal were essentially halted.

Fighting one-handed against three scurrying creatures in the nearly-complete darkness with a river of deadly fog flowing across the floor wasn't exactly an easy task. Some flickering idea or memory in her mind tried to suggest this wasn't the greatest challenge she'd ever faced, but that thought came from the dangerous realm of her brain where the pills and years of therapy banished the dream and everything connected to that event. The struggle to keep that part of her locked away was becoming harder and she knew that allowing a single thought connected to the dream to escape could open the floodgates.

She barely noticed, in her distracted state, the faint glow until its source rounded the corner. He was small and purple with bright green eyes she could almost recognize. He held a flame easily with his gloved hand and seemed to be staring at her oddly. When the child, Ai, rounded the corner, she realized the being was another form of the black-winged digimon whose arrival at the residence had resulted in her job being taken away, along with the lion-like creature and the armored reptile.

Tamiko Mizutani, seeing a child in danger because of a digimon, responded automatically and snapped an order at the purple monster to get away. She was met with a firm refusal. He destroyed one of the creepy jellyfish things and continued talking. Annoyed by the creature's presence, she tried to ignore his presence and to deal with remain creature who were actively trying to hinder her. She could attempt to rescue the twins after she gained control of the situation and handled the current crisis she helped create. But his voice suddenly caught her attention painfully.

"Don't bother, munchkin," the purple digimon advised Mako. "I doubt we'll get anything useful out of Ms. Crazy."

One word, so simple, sent jolting flashes of memories racing through her. They were _real_ flashbacks of _real_ events, but they were of hurtful events that were better off forgotten.

… **"****What are their names?" asked Kimiko. "If those kids were really there too, why don't you call them and invite them over?"**

**The grey-eyed girl blushed, "I don't know their last names. One of them might have mentioned it once, but most of us didn't. All I really know are their first names, so I can't look up their phone numbers."**

**Sighing, her friend put her hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry, but it can't be real. What you're talking about doesn't exist. It's a neat idea, but too strange to really occur. Even ignoring the most impossible stuff, there's the time issue. You're talking about stuff for months, but I saw you yesterday. Remember? You were showing me some tricks on the computer and you had to sneak out before Mom saw you since I'm not supposed to be on it anyway?"**

**"****But it did happen. It was real. I'm not lying."**

**"****Please, stop playing around like this," she begged. "I'm your friend, but you're starting to scare me. You're starting to sound crazy. Can't you pretend you never had this dream? It's silly to get this worked up over a dream like a baby when you're almost thirteen now."**

**"****A real friend would believe me," she snapped, frustrated at the dark-haired girl's refusal to accept the new view on the world. "And I have a real one. She promised we'd see each other again too. So, if you think I'm a liar or crazy or something, you aren't really that loyal a friend."**

**"****Tam…"**

**"****No! I'm not listening to you. I've faced more than you can imagine. I've seen things that were incredible and terrifying. And when I tell my family or you, no one will listen. Unless you will accept what I'm saying is true, I'm not talking to you."…**

… **A group of teenage girls sat giggling across the cafeteria, occasionally glancing over that the blond one who sat alone with her lunch and her class notes. The group didn't even try to conceal that they were talking about her. They had learned about her going to a therapist due to a careless slip on her part. Now, the entire school knew. Already, the blond girl had to listen to the sharp little comments about how she was only a step away from becoming a crazed murderer and that she would probably start talking to voices in her head soon. Stubbornly, she ignored their remarks and focused on her math homework.**

**One of the girls sitting with the group, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail, was her old friend Kimi. She wasn't laughing with them, but she wasn't defending Tamiko either. She was just sitting there, listening to the jokes about the blond teenager's sanity. The only positive thing was that Kimi hadn't shared the story that caused the need for therapy. Why give the spiteful group more ammo? They wouldn't believe the truth and would just twist it to suit their needs. If Kimi didn't believe it, why would they? Her "real" friend would come soon anyway…**

…**The girl was curled up on her bed, trying to fight back tears. Kimi was having a sleepover and, for the first time since they met as little kids, she wasn't invited. This utterly proved that she was alone. She had no friends left and the knowledge hurt.**

**If only she had **_**someone**_** to talk to. Someone who understood and actually believed her. There was one person she could think of that she wanted to be there more than anyone. But she wasn't here.**

"**You promised," she wept quietly. "You promised that we'd see each other again. I know it was real. Wasn't it?"**

**It was getting harder to believe it was real the longer it took. Her faith was only earning her heartbreak and loneliness…**

…**He looked at her, his face fixed in a permanent expression of understanding concern as he peered through his glasses at the blond girl. He looked exactly how a therapist **_**should**_**. The way he portrayed pure professionalism and compassion for his patients was exactly what had won over her mother.**

**She hated him.**

**His soft voice, his constant understanding nods when she tried to explain that it was all true, and the quiet pity as she attempted to defend her position against his calm logic: all of them proved that he was willing to listen, but never to **_**believe**_**. His efforts, no matter how hard she resisted, were beginning to have an effect too. The way he pointed out the different problems with her story was making too much sense. It could be just a dream, right?**

**No. She promised. Even after all this time, Tamiko held onto that hope. They would see each other again.**

"**I think we need to try something else. We've been meeting for some time now and you seem to not be making much progress," he explained in that infuriatingly soothing voice. "You're having difficulty still separating dreams from reality and you're being particularly resistant to the idea that this delusion of ours could be anything except for pure fact."**

"**So, I'm delusional?" she glared slightly. "I know that's just another word for 'crazy,' but I'm not wrong. It was all real. All of them were real. And not just Riku, Jay, and the other kids. **_**All**_** of them."**

**He shook his head slowly, "Miss Mizutani, I don't think you're crazy at all." His tone was soothing and understanding, but she could see that he **_**did**_** think she was crazy. His obvious disbelief was one of the reasons she insisted he address her as formally as possible. He wasn't her friend and she wanted him to be aware of that. "You're just a little unwell. Your mind is stressed out. Being a teenager is hard. Grades, your social peers, teachers, and even your parents can all mount heavy burdens of stress on you. And everyone was disturbed by the events at the Highton View Terrace."**

"**The battle there, you mean?" she muttered.**

"**All of this can make a fantasy life more appealing," he continued, pretending not to hear her correction. The last time he tried to remind her of the "official" explanation for the destruction, he'd been met with a near explosion on her part as she insisted not only was it caused by a giant parrot and dinosaur fighting, but that she knew the reptile's name. Her reaction might have been a little excessive, but she felt the event could have been the final proof she needed to demonstrate she wasn't wrong and no one else seemed to have noticed the giant creatures fighting. It was frustrating. But, since he apparently didn't want a repeat performance, her therapist avoided that topic for the time being. "After experiencing a particularly vivid dream, you latched onto it. You subconsciously developed the events and characters in the dream until you created a perfect refuge from the stress. Unlike some patients who do this, you didn't try to **_**live**_** in your fantasy. You merely believed you were **_**once**_** there and contented yourself with the memory of your adventure. During the heightened stress of the Highton View Terrace event, you almost returned completely to your refuge and thought you saw characters from your dream."**

**She gave him a particularly angry glare, but remained silent. He'd explained this theory at various points in other sessions, but she generally ignored this as being nonsense. Her life may be stressful, but she also knew it wasn't just a dream. Even if it was taking years for her to keep that promise, Tamiko knew it had to be real. She couldn't have just imagined such an amazing place or such wonderful friends.**

**He began scribbling on a small notepad, "I think we should try some medication for a while. It will help keep you calm and help keep you from being overwhelmed with stress. In addition to this, we'll be working on less harmful ways of dealing with reality than delusions of imaginary places and people." He gave her a nauseating smile, "We'll get you better, Miss Mizutani. You'll be able to understand again that this is real and your dream was fake. There is no such thing as a dig…"…**

…**Sighing, Mr. Konishi pulled up an e-mail on his computer and hid the image of the destroyed living room. As Mizutani scanned the letter, key words caught her attention. The grey-haired man began to explain.**

**"This was sent not long after the digimon began their attack. It was a warning sent to all the Digidestined about DADP and instructing them to go into hiding. Someone also fixed it so it can't be easily traced to the source or the other receivers. The only reason we have it is because a parent in PAD found it on her son's computer and forwarded it to other PAD members, including some of our employees. The police are already receiving reports of missing kids. And if I don't take steps, they're going to blame us and try to shut us down."**

**A sense of deep foreboding began to form. She could tell something bad was about to occur. She could almost guess the next words that would come out of his mouth.**

**"I'm sorry, Ms. Mizutani. Someone must take the fall for this disaster and you've placed yourself in that position. We will explain to the media that it was your decision to take this rash and completely unwelcome action against the Kamiya family. You stole DADP resources, lied to personnel in order to fulfill your own agenda and acted on your personal vendetta against digimon," he described in a calm voice. "You have a history of mental health problems and apparently took on too much responsibility. The stress of your job at DADP, a company with a purely neutral stance on the topic of digimon, led to a re-emergence of your delusions and causing your actions. You will be relieved of your duties here and shall no longer be our employee. For your own good, of course. And finally, a full investigation of how you could have lost so much progress in your recovery of your mental health, and what else you might have done because of your problems, will be conducted. Do you understand?"…**

She felt disconnected from her body. She wasn't in that hallway anymore, facing jellyfish-like digimon. She was in a whirlwind of anger in her mind. She wanted a target and that green-eyed creature would work.

"I am _not_ crazy. How many times, from how many people, did I hear the accusations of insanity?" Her body was still moving, lashing out with her improvised weapon, but she was barely aware of it. "One dream and my childhood becomes nothing but therapist, pills, and whispers and snickers from everyone. It was all fake and I _know_ that, but that dream is still haunting me since no one will ever let me forget. I was fired, not because I failed at the job I was given, but because they could call me 'insane' and no one else would have to get in trouble if they blamed 'Little Crazy Tamiko Mizutani.' I was used by a monster to change my creation into a nightmare, turning me into a fool as well as the local lunatic. Memories of the stupid dream keep popping into my head. I know it is fake and I've spent so long trying to forget it…"

She gave a wordless snarl and her arm gave another frustrated jerk. She was losing it. The memories of the dream were trying to press their way into her awareness. Each one was a potential crack that could break her shell of sanity. If she started believing them, she would be that poor delusional child again. Trying to fight back the tide of memories of something that never happened, she frantically recited to herself the _truth_.

"It isn't real. It was never real. It's just a dream. This is reality. That was a lie. The place, the events, and everyone were fake. It isn't real. It isn't real and never was. It was a _dream_."

…**She was confused, disoriented by her new surroundings. She'd been at the computer and now she was in the middle of a forest. The trees towered above her, far taller than those in the park.**

**A tired groan caught her attention. Climbing off the ground was a boy close to her age. The most unusual trait about him was a pair of goggles with a green strap was strapped to his head.**

**Unable to stop herself, she asked bluntly, "Planning on going swimming?"**

**He jerked in surprised. Somehow his huge head of hair added to his expression of shock. Blinking slowly, he stared at her for a few minutes before taking a cautious step forward.**

"**Who are you? Where are we?"**

**She gave a shrug, "I don't know where we are. Your guess is as good as mine. I was at home and… now I'm here. What about you?"**

"**I was riding my bike home, passing an electronics store when…" he indicated our surroundings. "It was so weird. And you still haven't told me your name."**

**A new sound interrupted them. It was the type of branch-cracking, leaf-shaking noise that preceded the arrival of monsters in horror movies. Both of them froze and stared towards the source in fear. A strange creature stepped into view…**

…**The small group of kids was still watching the unusual beings they had met. None of them were certain of what to do about the other yet. When certain pairs met, the kid received a small electronic device. What it was and what it signified was a mystery. All they knew was that they were all strangers to one another and they were meeting beings from another world.**

**But the odd thing was that she could feel a connection to one of the odd creatures. It was like she'd found something essential to her life that she'd never even known was missing. The moment she saw that white-feathered being with the honey-golden eyes and that grey rectangle appeared in her hands, she felt complete…**

…**Around the nightly campfire, she cradled the drowsing little boy. She'd pulled off his hat and smoothed out his black hair. She'd never had siblings or ever baby-sat, but she'd essentially become Jay's substitute mother in the weeks since they arrived. His blue partner was lying on his back, snoring rather loudly. The little pest had been the first to nod off, but the kid hadn't been far behind.**

**Everyone else was curled up around the heat source, relaxing and enjoying the calm. Undoubtedly, some new crisis would arise in the morning, but that could wait a while. Soon, sleep would overcome them and they would join in on the snoring**

**She turned to look at her partner. The white-feathered creature was watching the sleeping boy and her. They were on watch for the first few hours, but that didn't mean they had to remain stiff with watchful dread of the things that crept through the night. They could handle anything that came their way.**

**For the moment, it didn't matter to the blond-haired girl that she was in another world, far from home. The fact this world was populated by beings far larger and more powerful than she wasn't important. As long as she had her partner and her friends, she could manage…**

She was vaguely aware that someone was talking, but she didn't care. Her hand moved in another attack, but she barely noticed her actions. All her firm denial and determination concerning the dream was breaking. So many memories had reappeared in just the last day or two… And so many were occurring _now_. It was too hard to remind herself of the falsity of those events that were part of the dream. Even worse was the fact that the desire to remember which was reality and which was fantasy was weakening. She _wanted_ these events to be true. She wanted those people to be real. Especially that golden-eyed one that seemed so important to her. Only years of practice kept her trying to retain her grasp on reality.

"It was never real; never anything more than a dream. None of them existed," she recited stubbornly, her gaze staring unfocused. "_This_ is reality. _That_ was just a dream. I can't live in a fantasy, believing in something my mind invented that isn't true. It is fake."

…"**What a show-off," muttered the blue creature, shooting a glance at Ren and his partner who were galloping across the landscape.**

"**Hey, we'll race you," Hiro shouted, indicating his black-shelled friend. "I bet we can out do your acrobatics and**_** still**_** be faster. Just give us a second to change."**

**Ren, laughing as he rushed by on a blur of purple fur, shouted back, "Even flying, you can't win. But you're welcome to try."**

"**All of you guys are crazy," Jay's partner declared in disgust. "If you are our only hope, we're completely doomed."**

**The black-haired child reached over and took the hand of their spiky-haired leader. The young child gave him a questioning look and Riku smiled reassuringly.**

"**He's wrong. We can take on anyone and anything. Don't worry about it, Jay."…**

…**Fire and wind raged across the open field. Large monsters spat out deadly attacks against other beasts. The chaos and destruction mixed together in a frightening display of power.**

**Through it all, her eyes were locked on a single figure slashing her way through the opponents. The blond girl tugged her hat down more firmly on her head, unflinching at the proximity of the fight. Even the explosive fireball fired by one of her companions did not disturb her. She wasn't a stranger to these events anymore.**

**Still, she gripped her small piece of technology tightly. Jay was the closest to her currently and if they needed more power, he was the one she would be working with. They might need to digiv…**

…"**He might be bigger, stronger, smarter, and more deadly than us or anything we've run into before now," the goggle-wearing boy stated, giving every one of the kids and impossible beings a determined look. "But we're creative, adaptive, and too stubborn for our own good. And we can work as a team better than anyone while he's alone. If we've survived all this time on our own, we must be doing something right. If we can survive that little blue pest of Jay's," he jerked a thumb at a small creature that couldn't exist, but she knew that he was as real as the feathery being beside her, "then this creep will be back across the Wall of Fire in no time."**

"**Well, if I'm such a pest," the blue creature sneered, "I guess you don't need my help on the whole 'save everyone from evil' thing. I'll just start taking a few bets on the outcome, Riku. That way, I can hang out on the sidelines instead of getting my face pounded in."**

"**Oh, give up the 'don't care' routine," Hiro laughed. "We're all in this together. Saving the world: it's what we do. At least, when we're not having races, looking for our next meal, or testing our patience by dealing with you."**

"**You'll help us, right?" asked Jay quietly, looking at his partner hopefully.**

**Sighing dramatically, the little being grumbled, "Fine, I'm in. It's not like you'd be able to do **_**anything**_** without me."**

**The black-haired boy grabbed his blue partner, gave him a hug, ignored the protesting of his friend about the treatment, and remarked, "Thank you. I knew you would."…**

…**A group of men appeared not long after they won. They looked human, but they weren't really. They said they knew a way for the kids to go home. At first, it sounded like the best news they'd heard in a long time. But then they explained this would be good-bye.**

**Everyone was getting a little emotional about dividing apart. Even that annoying blue pest looked upset, though he was trying to be aloof. Jay, however, was being emotional enough for the both of them about the coming separation. He was clasping the small creature tightly and refusing to let go. For once, his partner wasn't complaining about being hugged.**

**The** **older boys were restraining themselves from reaching the nearly-crying state that Jay was in, but there was still quite a few hugs being exchanged. Riku trying to comfort his unusually large partner was especially distracting. Hiro was trying to treat the whole thing like a joke, like he didn't actually believe they'd somehow managed to find a way home, but he couldn't manage to get more than a half-hearted chuckle.**

**The blond girl wasn't even bothering to hide how upset she was by the idea of leaving. She was holding tightly to the creamy-white figure, crying softly into her feathery shoulder. The child knew her partner was crying too. The boys refused to cry about losing their friends because of some weird "male" thing that guys were taught early on: real men don't cry. Neither of the females was bound to that restraint.**

**She felt tears rolling down her face, "But I don't want to go home. What if we never see each other again?"**

"**I promise," a soft voice whispered. "We'll see each other again. You're my friend, Tam…"…**

Her voice was becoming almost frantic as the memories kept coming, "Why can't I forget? Everything is dragging that dream back."

"Takato said he had a couple dreams come true," Mako mumbled, causing her head to snap to attention at the child's voice as it broke through the waves of dream-related images and memories. "He said he saw Rika and Renamon in one before he met them. Then, Rika told him to stop bringing up that weird dream. But he said it was proof dreams are important. Maybe your dream is important too."

She shook her head at the child's attempt to help, "Not mine. It ruined my life and took forever to get past." She snapped her cord again in frustration, the improvised whip failing to come close to any target. "I was too stubborn to admit the impossibility and tried to convince people it was true when anyone could see it was fake. I can't go back to that. I have to remember what is real. I _have_ to."

Her mouth might be still trying to regain control of her mind, but her heart knew it was too late. She _wanted_ the memories to be true. She could no longer press that part of her mind shut. She had to resign herself to more long sessions of therapy and bottles of pills that fogged up her brain in order to ever lock them away again. The delusions were winning again and she was on her way back to being "Little Crazy Tamiko Mizutani". Everything she had worked so hard to accomplish, everything she'd gone through to try and have a normal life, would be lost. She might still realize it was a dream, but her growing desire for it to true would soon overcome that knowledge.

"Cutting Wind!" a familiar voice announced before a sharp blast of air streaked by the purple digimon and the twins to strike one of the jellyfish things. It produced a pained squeak and shattered apart. Her mind wasn't on the creature's destruction, however. The voice, the soft and wonderful voice, and the words spoken were all too well known to her. But it was also impossible for her to be hearing it. The origin of the voice and words was her imagination; her delusional dream sparked by stress and a creative imagination. If she admitted that she'd just heard it, she would have to admit that it wasn't a dream. As if to prove that her senses weren't lying, the speaker created another gust of wind to destroy the remaining blue jellyfish, her sweet voice shouting, "Cutting Wind!"

She was afraid. Either she had fallen so far back into her past delusional state that she was actually reliving the dream… or it hadn't been a dream after all. Could she believe that or was it just her mind tricking her into insanity? Could those memories of a dream be real memories of real events?

The owner of the voice, the voice that she'd spent so much time believing to be fake, glided into view. Her appearance struck a chord in the blond woman's mind. Every hazy memory and not-quite-clear face that had been plaguing her lately began to sharpen. The creamy-white feathers and the honey-golden eyes were reflected upon the comforting presence of her dreams that she could never completely identify. Everything suddenly made sense. Her anger towards digimon, her instinct to keep that "electronic toy," the odd sense of familiarity when viewing the image of the pink bird digimon, and even her lack of fear in her current situation. It was as if someone had turned on a light and illuminated the darkened corners of her mind.

Slowly, almost timidly, the bird whispered, "Tammy?"

There it was. The name she'd stopped using as a child. No one called her Tammy anymore. It was a name she allowed only her _true_ friends to call her and it had been years since there was anyone she was willing to call a friend. But this individual was her friend. She was more than just a friend too. They were partners. She was her missing half and she was back.

Throwing away every doubt, every sentence her therapist spoke in an effort to cure her, every shred of logic that she'd used to block out her childhood delusion and to be a normal person, the DigiDestined smiled, "Hatomon."

**Man, that was a lot of work, but I couldn't stop. There wasn't a good stopping place before here. Oddly, the longer I go between update, the longer the chapter ends up being when I finally get to write.**

**Yes, they are finally back together. And, yes, you finally get to hear the bird's name. "Hatomon" came from the word "Hato" which is Japanese for 'dove" or "pigeon." She's my creation, as is Tamiko "Tammy" Mizutani.**

**I wanted to demonstrate how so many memories were hitting her rapidly and were essentially battering down her defenses. That was why Tammy's section was so much longer to tell than Impmon's half. All those years of medication, therapy, and general denial have just met the ultimate proof that she wasn't crazy. **

**I don't know if this ended up as good as I hoped, but it was definitely longer than I expected. Your feedback is deeply appreciated. Thanks.**


	54. Quaking and Rumbling

**I'm so sorry. I really meant to have another chapter before this point, but several things happened in close succession, causing a massive delay to this update. My mom broke her arm Christmas morning by slipping on the ice, meaning I had to help her out until she got her cast off. Then, my step-sister got married and we had to go out of state to attend. Add to that my imagination getting kidnapped again for another topic and starting school back up after break… When I did get a chance to try and write, I got sick. To sum it all up, I've been busy. I hope that this chapter makes up for the inescapable delay.**

Another thunderous blow caused the ground under the young man's feet to quiver, but he managed to keep his balance. It did spark of a momentary fear of what could happen if he was knocked down by the shockwaves and lost his glasses, leaving him to flounder around blindly on the battlefield. Fortunately, Joe was able to shove that unnerving scenario aside. After all, he had enough to worry about already without inventing new problems.

As soon as they had reached the shore, blue-tinted Kuramon and Chrysalimon charged out of the unusual fog bank towards them. One quick digivolution later and Zudomon had taken his giant hammer to the streets. There were no immediate signs of the other Digidestined, but that wasn't too unbelievable considering how far the mist had spread. There was a lot of territory they could be in and the pair had just arrived on the scene.

"Vulcan's Hammer!" announced Zudomon, smashing the steel implement to the ground and sending the small creatures flying from the shockwave. Switching his grip on the tool, the giant ultimate threw it and shouted, "Hammer Boomerang!"

Joe watched his partner catch the returning object and prepare for the next strike. Suddenly, a brightly-colored new shape swooped low overhead. Something dropped from the figure before it regained altitude. The young man looked directly towards the fast-moving entity just as it began to glow with flames.

"Meteor Wing!"

The shape, a huge orange bird, sent flames towards the aggressive entities. Her attack produced shrieks of pain and surprise from the targeted Kuramon and Chrysalimon. Joe gained a relieved smile at the arrival of the familiar champion.

The figure that had dropped off a minute before came over to the young man's side. Still in her tennis outfit and carrying a racket, Sora gave him a questioning look.

"Do you know what we're facing?"

He shrugged, "Dangerous fog, hundreds of these little guys, and our friends somewhere in the middle of it. Beyond that, I only know what Izzy said on television."

The teenage girl blinked, "Izzy was on T.V.? I just got a message on my phone." She glanced back at Birdramon as she pulled out her digivice. "Either way, we need to find the others. We need to make sure they are all right and to help them."

"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

The avian ultimate looked slightly more humanoid. Her feathers were now crimson red except for a patch of white on her chest and neck. She now had clawed hands to match her avian-taloned feet. On her back, she still had a pair of wings. A red helmet covered the top of her head with only her eyes exposed. Two braids, one on each side, framed her bird-like face while the rest of her blond hair flowed down her back. Mostly, she was simply big.

"Wing Blade!" she stated, her wings launching bird-shaped flames at the swarm of creatures still emerging from the blue fog.

Adding to her fiery strike, Zudomon announced, "Vulcan's Hammer!"

The combined attacks destroyed a number of the lower-leveled digimon and also struck the mist. Both the creatures and the artificial weather shattered with the impact. Joe stared at the newly cleared area.

"That's one way to get in," he remarked slowly.

His partner nodded, "Time for the cavalry to go charging in. I just hope we go charging in the right direction."

* * *

"Is it just me or are they slowing down?" asked VictoryGreymon.

"What do you mean?" Takato's voice asked as Gallantmon swung his sword through another Chrysalimon. "That one was just as fast as the others."

"But they aren't replacing the earlier digimon as quickly anymore," clarified Tai's voice as the large Biomerged reptile smashed his heavy weapon on another blue-tinted creature.

He had a definitely point. Earlier, each destroyed digimon was immediately replaced by two or more identical combatants. Now, there was a slightly noticeable delay after their destruction before another one appeared out of the fog. The pair of megas was keeping up now instead of being nearly overwhelmed by numbers.

Guilmon's voice suggested, "Do you think they are running out of them?"

"Maybe. Or it might be a sign that they are up to something new," remarked VictoryGreymon.

"Data Crusher!" announced one of the champions.

"Invincible Sword!" Gallantmon retaliated.

As the knight struck the Chrysalimon, an ominous deep rumbling sound began. The remaining blue-tinted digimon didn't react to the noise. The Biomerged megas, however, exchanged concerned looks.

"Why do I get the feeling we're in trouble," muttered VictoryGreymon.

* * *

"Wait, back up for a minute," snarled Impmon, glancing between the now-hugging woman and avian rookie. As soon as the adult whispered the bird's name, the pair had broken down into a teary embrace. The human seemed to be muttering frantically a series of barely-comprehensible apologies while Hatomon was reciting her own. Most people would see this as a heartwarming reunion of some type and feel some level of empathic joy themselves. Considering the day he'd already experienced that day, however, the purple virus was out of patience and wanted answers. "Are you telling me that Blondie, who tried to kidnap my twins and has been freaking out about how digimon are a threat to kids everywhere, is the partner to Tweety? Does anyone else see a problem with this picture?"

"Tammy?" asked Hatomon, pulling back from the hug enough to look at the woman questioningly.

Slowly, uneasily, and cautiously, she began to explain, "I… couldn't remember. It was so foggy and I spent so long believing it was a lie… trying to_ not_ remember. Somehow I _knew_, though, that I was missing… _something…_ something important and I wanted to stop being so… lost. When digimon first started showing up in the public eye, it felt… familiar, but I couldn't…" She stopped for a moment. The confident and cool woman that had been in the apartment earlier (and been splashed with batter) seemed to be unraveled by some mind-blowing revelation. A thick wall against the world had broken down and she didn't know how she ended up there. Impmon recognized the feeling of having to face the truth of who and what they've become when everything came crashing down. "Denial and a fear of being crazy wouldn't let me… I'm sorry, Hatomon. I couldn't even remember you. It was frustrating. And… I think I subconsciously blamed everything on… something I _knew_ was coming, but never did. I blamed digimon without understanding _why_. I was angry and hurt, but DADP seemed to offer a way to… fix it. To get rid of something that was testing my view on sanity and to protect kids from ending up… like me. I didn't understand my logic and couldn't even try to figure it out. It was just… a mess." For a second, her features twitched into a vague smile and gave a watery chuckle, "When this is over, I am definitely calling my therapist. He made me think I was crazy for years and I'm going to make him sorry. 'Delusion,' my foot."

"This is my fault. I promised I'd see you again and…" the bird muttered.

"You _did_," she assured. "I just wasn't patient enough. I should have had more faith."

"Okay, I only got about half of what you just said, but I'm guessing you're on our side now," remarked Impmon. "It's never too late to switch sides, fix mistakes, and other sentimental whatever, but can we save the sappy reunions and 'it's all my fault' stuff until _after_ the crisis is over?"

"The Guardian program," nodded the blond adult.

"The blue stuff?" Mako asked. "How did you know about it?"

"Maybe Destiny told her," suggested Ai.

Somehow, the purple rookie was willing to bet that wasn't the case. While the prophetess seemed to be able to be everywhere and talk to everyone, this didn't feel like her work. The woman confirmed it by shaking her head at the child's words.

"I _made_ it. Well, Diaboromon took an idea of mine, perfected it, added his own evil twist on it, and made it seem like I made it on my own," she explained, her words filled with fury at the manipulation. "But he won't get away with it. I… _We_," she corrected, glancing at her partner and receiving a nod of agreement, "will stop him. Tamiko Mizutani wil not be used by an overgrown bug. I brought Guardian into existence and I can take it out."

"Nice plan, but do you know how you're going to do that?" asked Impmon. "I'm no expert at computer junk, but considering we have a fog over most of he city, you're going to need more than a giant delete button."

"Like that weird gun you had earlier," Mako suggest hesitantly.

The DigiDestined shook her head again, "They use the Guardian program to operate. Right now, it would be more effective to throw them at someone. And I need to take out the source of the problem and hack into the DADP's central computer directly. The one that was empowering the shield."

"The overgrown bug-zapper," muttered the viral rookie.

"I was heading that way, disconnecting any computer I encountered on the way, when the little jellyfish things showed up," she continued, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "And as long as I'm able to isolate the system from the 'fog spewing' program they all seem to be running enough not to get killed by it, I might be able to undo some of this mess. I think I can do it if I'm at the source."

Impmon reminded, "Don't forget, even if there aren't that many of the creepy digimon running around in here, there has to be a few guarding something like that. No one is that stupid to leave obvious sources of power unattended. Which means I'll be baby-sitting you for a little longer apparently."

The grey-eyed woman smiled slightly, "I think we can take care of ourselves fairly well. Right, Hatomon?"

She pulled out a small, electronic device. While different than the D-arc around Ai's neck, Impmon could easily guess its purpose before it started to glow.

"Hatomon digivolve to… Darcmon!"

Replacing the avian rookie was a more humanoid champion. She possessed two sets of shining, cream-white wings that she had pulled tightly in the closed spaces. Most of her blondish-white hair was hidden beneath a red turban bearing a blue gemstone that resided in a decorative setting. The setting seemed to have a set of tiny, ornate, white wings. Golden armor protected her legs and lower arms while colorful cloth and leather belts covered the rest of her. Twin swords, one resting in its sheath at her waist while the other resided in her grip, announced her more dangerous nature. Her other hand held a staff with a winged orb on the top. Her face was partially concealed by a golden mask in a fashion very similar to Sakuyamon, except the being's golden-green eyes were still visible.

Ai held out the purple D-arc and read slowly, "'Darcmon, a champion angel digimon. Like her Dancing Sword attack, she is as deadly as she is beautiful.'"

"Okay, that's a little better, but…" began Impmon. Before he could finish, however, a deep rumbling sound began. The noise could be felt as vibrations through the floor in addition to being heard. This quickly indicated to the small group that the source was either very big, very close, or both. Judging by the amount of luck generally on their side that day, the purple rookie assumed it was both and it was also out to kill them. "Fine, you're on your own. Just point me towards the closest window out of here and go play techno-wizard with the bug-zapper."

She quickly pointed towards one of the office doorways. Without another word to the adult or wondering how well the pair would be able to see without his fire present, the virus took Mako's hand, who grabbed on to Ai's, and pulled them into the room. Dodging the mist, the trio moved around the computer desk to the large window that ran across the back wall. Impmon extinguished the flame in his free hand and released Mako from his other.

"Munchkins, I think it's time to try out the crest thing now," he suggested.

The child's nod was just visible with the light that filtered through the blue fog-covered window. His sister reached over the D-arc for him to slide the card-like object.

In unison, they announced, "Digi-Modify! Crest of Balance Activate!"

"Impmon Crest Biomerge digivolve to… Fatemon Balance Mode!"

* * *

"Gauntlet Claw!" shouted Turuiemon.

"Gargo Laser!" his brother added, firing at the Kuramon and finishing it off.

A dark figure moved across the battlefield, announcing, "Crimson Claw!"

"Nice job, Devidramon," commented Doumon. "But I can do better. Exorcism Scrolls!"

The red paper spells destroyed and damaged a larger number of digimon than the champions' attacks, but the grayish-blue furred ultimate was not the only individual doing large-scaled destruction. Though she was a delicate-looking being, Lillymon was alternating between blasting away with her flower cannon and tying her enemies up with vines. Even Mikemon was able to take out a number of Guardian-infused digimon by weaving in and out of the crowd. Only Mari's partner, Pafumon, had a low body count due to his level and the girl retaining a hold of him.

"Electro Shocker!" shouted Kabuterimon.

"Flower Cannon!" the floral ultimate added.

One part of Willis wanted to be optimistic. All the signs seemed to indicate they were holding their own in the fight, if not flat out winning. On the other hand, his experience with the virus and from what he'd observed of Diaboromon specifically on the computer years ago suggested that it was far too early to get cocky. There had to be a plan that hadn't been revealed yet. A blue mist and numerous low-leveled digimon would not be his only defense. He was too smart for such an obvious final defense.

As if the universe was determined to prove him right, the ground began to shake with an ominous rumble accompanying it. Several of the digidestined and their smaller partners struggled to retain their balance in response to the unexpected vibrations. The various stages of Diaboromon's digivolution line didn't react, as if they were expecting it.

"Guys… Any idea what's going on?" asked Ren.

"This isn't normal seismological behavior," Izzy stated uneasily. "Lacking a natural cause, we should assume it is from an artificial source. And until we have any more concrete evidence to develop a different theory, it is probably best to assume it is connected to Diaboromon."

"Which means we should assume the worse," his partner remarked.

"Don't you always?" asked Mimi.

Izzy grinned wryly, "Statistically, it generally proves to be the worst possible scenario for us."

"Doesn't mean you can't hope for the best," she pointed out.

Before Willis could either ask them to focus or to lightly tease them for acting like an old married couple (he hadn't decided which one yet), the digimon closest to the blue mist screamed in surprise and dove for safety. What looked like a gigantic, blue, clawed leg had burst through the fog bank and slammed into the road with enough force to crack the blacktop into large chunks, barely missing Mikemon and Turuiemon. The taloned-foot was slightly too large to fit perfectly in the road and tore up the side of the buildings near it without being at all hindered by the concrete structures.

Everyone began scrambling backwards, Devidramon and Kabuterimon grabbing their smaller brethren in an effort to increase the distance from the unknown creature emerging.

"Move!" shouted Lillymon, diving to grab her partner.

"Run," added Gargomon.

No one needed further prompting since the humans were already moving, but the new entity seemed determined to offer greater encouragement. In the distance, but still too close for comfort, another limb exploded out of the mist and crashed onto another street. The rumbling and shaking of the ground was continuing throughout the event and the smaller blue-tinted creatures were following the fleeing figures.

"Kyo," the young Mari yelped, one hand holding her frightened partner and the other one grabbing her brother. "What is it?"

A heavy jerk of the vibrating ground and a distant crashing sound indicated a third limb hand emerged somewhere in the city, but the group of digidestined and digimon couldn't see where. Everything indicated this _thing_ was huge. It was easily larger than Kerpymon or Magnadramon, the largest digimon Willis had seen personally. And they hadn't even seen the body yet.

"Judging by the size of the limbs required to support its weight, the likely body mass would fall into a range around…" Izzy tried to theorize over the loud noises as they fled, but Jay interrupted.

"Less thinking, more running."

A less extreme jolt, but still a forceful one, suggested a fourth limb had landed at an even further location. The sounds of destruction lasted longer this time. The blond American assumed it had landed directly on a building instead of mostly on the road, explaining the difference in noise.

"Everyone, grab onto Devidramon, Kabuterimon, or Youkomon," Ren yelled, separating the two digivices and causing Doumon to revert to her champion stage.

"Gargomon and I can keep the smaller guys at bay," added Lillymon, handing Mimi over to the large insect as other humans proceeded to follow the DigiDestined's suggestion. "We just need to get the humans and smaller digimon back."

As the framework for the retreat strategy was formed, the shaking of the ground intensified. Willis glanced back and saw an enormous mass breaching the surface of the ocean of fog like a giant whale. Or rather, like Godzilla. The difference was that this shape kept rising higher and higher above the mist. The scale of the creature seemed impossible, distracting the boy from noting any other detail about it. Several skyscrapers were slightly "grazed" by the ascending form and were utterly decimated by the mild impact. It wasn't facing them yet, but the boy knew what it was deep down. The towering being rising from the mist was his mistake, once again returned to haunt him.

As if in answer to the digidestined's suspicions, the creature began to turn and, in a deep and thunderous voice, bellowed, "Willis."

**More details of Diaboromon's new form will be revealed when it gets to a viewpoint that is not so close to the ground. For a human at the angle Willis is, the clearest detail obvious in all that chaos is **_**big**_**. **

**Once again, I'm so sorry about the wait. It was simply out of my control. I hope this chapter made up for it somewhat and the next update should be sooner this time.**

**Thanks.**


	55. Determination

**I am afraid that my schedule this spring is busier than in the fall, which is cutting into my writing time. And since my out-of-control imagination sparked off another extended story that is now in progress and stealing half of my attention… I have to take even more time in order to not rush through the story's development.**

**I suppose you are now eagerly awaiting to see what the Diaboromon monstrosity is up to, right? I'm afraid that you'll have to wait a little longer. Those who want to know what DemiDevimon turned into (though a few have guessed), you're in luck. This chapter will be checking back in with the tamers in the other universe. There is a lot of jumping around to various viewpoints to cover a very short period of time, but it should be clear enough what is going on. I hope that the wait was worth it.**

If Kazu had paid attention in class, he might have learned the name of the enormous geometric shape now inhabiting most of the sky overhead instead of DemiDevimon. Still Biomerged, Guardromon helpfully identified the purple and yellow object as a polyhedron, but the boy was more concerned with the fact he had seen the thing before. The strange, twisted, long chains, shaped like DNA with claws, burst out of the dark holes scattered across the shape and the humanoid figure on top that was dwarfed by the rest of object were all images engraved in the tamer's mind from watching every episode of the digimon television show dozens of times. He could quote entire episodes perfectly from memory without effort, he could recite the number of digvolutions that occurred during the Christmas World Tour, and he could identify every enemy that ever appeared. He knew exactly what he was looking at and, unlike Puppetmon, he did not experience a rush of excitement and fan-boy glee before reality set in. Kazu instantly felt the gravity of the situation. The digimon was too powerful for that.

With a loud bellow as he finished his digivolution, he announced, "…Apocalymon!"

"We are so toast," the boy muttered insided his brown mental bubble before repeating, "Ryo, what did you _do_?"

"I…" the Digimon King's voice gasped in shock. "I didn't…" His tone switched to anger, "He _used_ me. Like a pawn in his game. Lies and tricks… just to turn me into a tool. No more. This is my life. I am more than their pawn."

Justimon leapt into the air, aiming for the closest clawed chain and shouted, "Justice Kick!"

Even with his incredible capacity for jumping, Kazu half expected him to fall short of his target. Apocalymon met his leaping strike with his claw, the larger being's impact knocking the mega to the ground and slamming the limb right on top of Justimon, crushing the cyborg into the ground with enough force to shake the ground slightly and leaving a crater behind. When the massive entity removed the claw from the newly-created depression, HiAndromon could see that their friends had split into separate beings again. Ryo and Cyberdramon, both looking battered, began struggling to their feet as the large digimon laughed cruelly.

"Such power," Apocalymon commented, his voice creepily silken. "More than I could have ever imagined. Such raw unrestricted strength. I could do so many things. I could cast down the Sovereign and rule this world in his place. I could enslave all digimon as my personal army and conquer the human world. I could make both worlds in my image. Nothing can stop me. I am invincible!"

"Classic, egotistical psycho," the human component of the Crest-empowered mega remarked. "Which means it's time for the heroes to knock him down to size. You know what that means, Guardromon?"

"The dynamic duo are about to attack?" his partner suggested.

"Exactly," the tamer smiled within the mental orb. "But we need some speed."

At his words, an excited engine roar emerged from Behemoth. The sentient vehicle still lay where it landed after losing Puppetmon as its rider. HiAndromon yanked it upright and climbed on. The motorcycle shot forward as the Biomerged mega transformed his arm.

"Okay, Apocalymon," the boy muttered under his breath. He couldn't use his D-arc to check the creature's information, but he could use the memories of the television show. "Giant enemy at the end of season one, responsible for the Dark Masters and practically all the evil in the Digital World in that season, could dedigivolve others and potentially self-destruct to destroy the whole world." He frowned, "I hope he can't do _that_." Continuing with his mental listing of his enemy's possible capabilities, he described, "Apocalymon could also copy the attacks of several evil digimon, at least the ones he is supposed to be connected to somehow. Maybe this one's selection will be different since I don't think he has anything to do with Machinedramon or MetalSeadramon."

As the bike brought the Biomerged mega to the edge of the clearing (and out from directly beneath the planetoid-sized creature), HiAndromon aimed his transformed arm towards the entity and shouted, "Ion Cannon!"

The green orb of energy managed to hit the polyhedron, but there was no sign of damage. It did, however, get the mega's attention. His enjoyment of his new amount of power interrupted, the giant digimon directed his gaze towards the motorcycle-riding android.

"Crimson Lightning!" Apocalymon announced, using Myotismon's deadly attack.

Behemoth reacted to the assault, weaving around the red electricity at high speed. His passenger continued to fire upon the large digimon from his mobile position.

A loud, high-pitched cry captured everyone's attention and announced the arrival of newcomers on the far side of the clearing.

"Wyo!"

* * *

The anger that sprang up by the bat's betrayal, fueled more by the still fuzzy memories of previous instances of where he was used, was interrupted as the crushing force of Apocalymon's claw broke the connection between the boy and his partner, leaving both of them battered, tired, and lying in a newly formed crater. The smartest idea would be to remain still at least long enough for his head to stop pounding. What he and Cyberdramon were actually doing was climbing to their feet, still trying to fight back.

A part of the tamer asked why. Why was he trying to get up, to face this impossible enemy, to win? The creature was so large and so powerful that he could rush their mega form without trying. The boy could hear Apocalymon boasting about his power and how much he could accomplish with it. Ryo _knew_ he couldn't win against such power. So why did he still try?

Something deep down and forgotten, the same something that fed the earlier anger, answered. He would always try. No matter how impossible, how powerful, or how intimidating an enemy might be or as hopeless a situation might seem, he would always face it. No matter how many times he was knocked down, he would climb back up. No matter how dark and difficult the path became, he would keep marching towards his goal until it was reached. Unstoppable, unbeatable, all-powerful beings with control of fundamental forces would be met with unyielding determination. Apocalymon had nothing on Milleniummon…

"Wait, who?" asked the boy, surprised by the name.

…**Various forms of the same entity flashed through his head. A mixture of many components with two heads, four arms, twin cannons, and equal parts flesh and light. A crystal with something evil lurking within, red eyes glaring out. A two headed dragon of a twisted nature with strange pieces of code floated around it, orbiting the creature.**

**Accompanying the scattered images was a sense of invincibility and unimaginable power. No matter how the creature changed, something always seemed constant. **_**He**_** couldn't be trusted, couldn't be underestimated, and could never be defeated permanently. There was no chance of escaping his shadow for long. But he would always face that changing, dangerous foe. He rarely had a choice in the matter; he and Milleniummon were destined to continue their unending encounter regardless. The fact he couldn't break the pattern did not stop him from trying.**

**The final image of his eternal foe was, surprisingly, Cyberdramon…**

"Apparently I've always been too stubborn for my own good," Ryo muttered, seeing the Biomerged android opening fire on the giant creature overhead out of the corner of his eye. "No matter how impossible, even if that creep knocks me down, memories or no memories, I'm not giving in to that overgrown bat."

With that final stubborn assertion, the tamer was surprised to see a bright glow erupting from a source around his neck and a high-pitched ringing. Grabbing at the white rectangle around his neck, he saw most of the surface gaining a shade of blue identical to that of his D-arc. The color spread across the card-like crest, leaving only a starburst pattern in the center retaining the original white color. The light show reminded him of what happened to Kazu. The ringing, however, was a new addition to the experience. Distantly, he was aware of red lightning erupting from Apocalymon, but most of his attention was pulled to the ringing sound that was morphing into words.

Determination. Having one's mind made up and possessing the resolve to keep the choice. Firm and unyielding. Equal parts courage, stubbornness, and unbending purpose. Knowing that impossibility is not a true hindrance. Understanding there is always a chance of success and it is only necessary to remain steady and strong until that slim chance is found. Unstoppable willpower in the face of adversity in all forms.

Recklessness and determination are both born from stubbornness, but one leads to foolish decisions. Just because you do not back down does not mean that wisdom and sense should be ignored. Unyielding fortitude should be tempered by a flexible and adaptive mind. There are many paths to reach a goal, but the best is not always the clearest at first glance. Determination is the strength of mind and everything that implies.

The firm support of your desired result may waver in the face of adversity. Obstacles of great power or great difficulty can block the paths. Those of weaker conviction may stray, bend, or break under the pressure. Bravery, an unwillingness to change course, and belief in the value of your goal will strengthen that conviction into a force that nothing can alter or stop.

Determination.

Before he could react to the event, another voice captured his attention. This one was of a far less supernatural-seeming and mysterious nature than the earlier speaker. It was a young, high-pitched voice that his fragmented memories were able to identify immediately.

"Wyo!"

* * *

The small group reached the edge of the forest as an odd vibration shook them slightly. They could finally see a reasonable distance again without tree trunks and foliage in the way. They could also see the unusual, digital horizon now that the canopy was no longer blocking the view. This meant Kenta could make out the enormous and disturbingly familiar digimon that was likely the source of the previous impact. It was also throwing around bright and deadly crimson jolts of electricity.

"We are so toast," he muttered.

"Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad," whimpered Calumon quietly, not even looking at the entity as he tried to hide his head from view. His freak out from a few minutes ago, which had been extremely unsettling due to the unexpectedness and the fact that it was _Calumon_ that was shrieking in absolute terror for no obvious reasons as he clutched his head, had left the small white creature even less comprehensible than usual. Torn between the instinct to hurry towards the sounds of fighting in the direction of their missing tamer (an instinct that was certainly not related to survival) and concern for the upset in-training digimon, they had scooped up the small creature and broken into a run. Or, rather, Yamaki had picked up his partner. Calumon was now shivering, his ears squeezed tightly against his head, curled up in the adult's arm as they stared at the impossibly large entity in the sky, "No, no, no, no, _no_. It was _wrong_. No more."

"Wyo!" shouted Suzie suddenly, her high-pitched voice carrying over any other sound as she pointed across the torn-up landscape.

Kenta, his gaze ripped away from the sight of _Apocalymon_ in the sky like the ultimate source of doom, saw a brown-metal humanoid on a motorcycle on the far side of the clearing, a familiar dragon-like creature, and… _Ryo_. The formerly-dead tamer was standing in a crater with his ultimate level partner. Both looked a little unsteady on his feet, but certainly alive. He was holding something tied around his neck, but his head had snapped up at the girl's shriek of happiness.

"Suzie, wait," shouted Lopmon abruptly, yanking the bespectacled boy's attention back to the small group.

The young child had picked up her partner and was now running straight towards the older boy. Kenta didn't know if she had somehow missed the planetoid-sized digimon overhead or simply didn't care. All that the girl seemed to care about was the fact her friend was here and she was going to go to him. Ryo, seeing her actions, had grabbed onto his own partner and they cyborg-dragon was now flying towards her. The tamer was waving with his free arm for her to turn around and run the other way, but that didn't seem to faze her.

"Get back here," someone yelled, but Kenta wasn't certain if it was him, Yamaki, or both.

Apocalymon seemed interested in the racing girl as well. One of his long, chain-like limbs was in position and, when Ryo reached Suzie, the claw shot down towards them, intending to crush the beings into nonexistence. Somehow, in the seconds between the creature's attack towards them and impact, Kenta saw the figures roll out from directly under the descending limb (Suzie seemed to have ended up in a gap between two claws) and swiftly sliding cards through D-arcs. Or what looked like cards, at least.

* * *

The power, the dark and twisted power that coursed through him, exceeded anything he'd ever felt before. Even the flood of strength from his old master paled in comparison. He crushed his former "helpers," Ryo and Cyberdramon, and shrugged off that bionic imbecile's blast without any effort. The lightning hadn't reached his target, but it didn't really matter. Nothing could get in his way. He was unstoppable.

"Wyo!"

The voice… As he realized who had shouted, Apocalymon felt a cold shiver of dread run up his humanoid portion's spine. The words of Destiny echoed in his mind.

**"Be warned, however. 'The End shall end if he ignores the harmless. The small and meek is not the weak. The youngest of mind and form hold the power to stop the threat. Defeat comes from the least expected quarters.'"**

Suzie.

The small girl with the rabbit for a partner. The fragile child that Justimon died to protect. It was her.

True, he knew she had the potential to be dangerous. Cherubimon was an angel digimon and her attacks were as unpleasant as Plesiomon's or HiAndromon's had been that fateful day. Still, her youth, her unthreatening size and appearance, and her sweet nature served to shift away any fear of her power. The young tamer seemed absolutely harmless and not a threat to him in any possible manner.

She would have to die.

The girl seemed intent on granting that desire as well. Her small figure was dashing across the field from the tree line with Lopmon firmly under one arm while various voices shouted for her to turn back. Ryo and Cyberdramon (who apparently survived being smashed under foot) were racing towards her. This was too perfect. It would be like killing two Biyomon with one stone.

As soon as they were close enough, Apocalymon slammed one of his clawed limbs directly on top of them. Or where they had been seconds before. Instead of their deaths and preventing that prophecy from being possible, he head two voices shouting at the same time very similar statements.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"

"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"

On either side of the "foot" was now growing sources of powerful light. They were digivolving.

Not good.

* * *

He thought at first that the girl was either impossibly oblivious to Apocalymon's presence or ignoring the threat. Ryo didn't think she was _that_ crazy, but he also couldn't think of an alternative reason why she would dash across the clearing like that. Only when he and Cyberdramon drew close did he see an expression of happiness, concentration, and her own brand of determination across Suzie's face. She knew what she was doing, how dangerous it was, but didn't care because she felt she _had_ to do it anyway. Even more surprising was when she abruptly shifted directions and rolled just as Cyberdramon turned.

Barely missing either of them, the large claw slammed to the ground. She'd been watching out for danger, even while doing her dangerous stunt.

Not willing to wait and see if anything else might happen, Ryo decided to try his crest for help. He couldn't protect her as a human, after all. As he slid his card-like object, he heard another voice.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"

"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"

"Cyberdramon Crest Biomerge to…"

Time froze. There was no other way to describe it. He was in the middle of changing form, surrounded by light and power, and then… he was in a different place. It was dark, almost like being on an empty plain at twilight, and a gridline of white lines stretched forever to the horizon. It wasn't like he'd been transported somewhere else. He could still feel his connection to his and Cyberdramon's digivolving form. But part of him was here, in this strange place where time passed much quicker than in his normal reality. Wherever he was currently wasn't real. This odd location was in his mind only and everything was happening in that brief moment it takes to digivolve.

And he wasn't alone. A short distance away, Monodramon was glancing around curiously. Ryo's partner seemed to have no idea of the cause of this odd event either. Further away was… a figure. It seemed to have two dragonoid heads, but every other detail was blurred. The tamer couldn't be certain, but it felt like his eyes were trying to see three different shapes at the same time without ever allowing a clear view of any. A glimpse of a large cannon on one, a crystal around another, and orbiting symbols surrounding the third identified the strange being. It was the creature from his memory.

"Milleniummon," the boy glared, anger and distrust rising to the surface.

"So you remember my name, if not my identity," chuckled the smooth voice. "And you have managed to active your crest as well. I am very proud of you, Ryo. Your resolve has yet to fail, my partner."

"Who are you and why don't I trust you?" he asked, the entity putting him on edge. "And you're not my partner."

The creature shook his heads, "My poor tamer. Suspicious of my goodwill even when you remember nothing that would cause doubt. I have given you no reason to distrust me since we arrived in the landscape of your mind, have I?"

"If this is Ryo's mind, it seems a little empty," Monodramon muttered, but he was glaring at Milleniummon suspiciously even as he attempted a small joke.

"Your memories are returning slowly and will continue to do so until you regain your past, but you need some more quickly than others. You need to know your allies. _All_ of them. Your crest, a mere trinket that reflects and channels your own inner power, will allow you to quiet me for a time," the mysterious creature explained. "Only natural since you have always been the only one who could resist my power and stop me. As a demonstration of my goodwill and desire to help my partner, I have a gift for you before that occurs."

Abruptly, two arms (which only existed in one of Milleniummon's forms) shot out and, gently, touched Ryo and Monodramon's foreheads. The surprising move caused the boy to want to jerk back, but a rush of images, sounds, and emotions froze him in place. Sensations that were both strange and familiar washed over him, threatening to overpower him. The fragmented flashbacks that had been plaguing him recently paled in comparison to these higher quality pieces of his mental landscape. The surge of new information felt overwhelming, his head pounding with the effort to sort everything. There was so much flowing into his mind, jumbling together as the scattered pieces were dragged out of the shadows and clumsily fitted into the gaps. When Milleniummon broke off contact, the tamer was left gasping.

His memory was back. He knew who he was, who the tamers were, about his family, about the human world, he knew why Cyberdramon's image was included in his earlier flashback of Milleniummon's various forms, and he had other answers to questions that he hadn't even wondered about yet. From the present moment to around a week before he defeated Rika at the card game was perfectly clear. Before that period of his life, it became less clear and there were still plenty of gaps as he progressed further back, but he could still remember enough to know why he distrusted this powerful manipulator of time and space. He was almost back to his old self.

"The advantage of Biomerging: your mind is within my reach, Ryo," commented Milleniummon. "Your other memories, those connected to the life you left behind, can wait and return on their own. And I did not hide or alter any of your recollections concerning me."

Ryo edged closer to Monodramon. The purple reptile glanced between his partner and the creature who resided within himself, clearly remembering his own past once more as well. They couldn't show any weakness to this being. Not only was he powerful, but he could win without using a single attack. His voice, so reasonable and intelligent, could easily make you forget the owner's past actions and likely future intentions.

"I wouldn't be able to tell if you changed my memories even if you did," the boy pointed out. "I don't know what it is you think this will bring you. I'm not sure what your angle is or what you're planning, but I promise you that it won't work."

"I am your partner. That means I will help you and do as you ask, and no more than that. I remain out of sight, influencing your life as little as possible, because you want a normal life," reminded Milleniummon. "I only offer help now before the power behind your crest silences me further. And to remind you that you need only ask for my advice or power, Ryo. Eventually you'll accept my help. You'll face a foe too powerful to handle or simply decide to reconsider your harsh distrust of me."

"Never," he stated firmly. "I'll never trust you. I _know_ you."

"Never is a long time. I know better than most how much can change in time. I can wait. I am always with you after all, Ryo."

With those final, ominous words, the tamer was launched back into reality.

* * *

Though HiAndromon had frozen at the sound of the girl's voice, he _did_ reacted to her running across the uneven and torn-up battlefield.

"Looks like Ryo's grabbing her, so let's distract Apocalymon from them."

Rather than argue that the giant being had barely noticed his earlier attack (impossible since the motorcycle _still_ didn't have a mouth), Behemoth revved its engine loudly and drove in a very noticeable serpentine pattern.

"Hey, over here," yelled the Biomerged mega. "I'm not finished with you yet. You're nothing but a surprise villain with no foreshadowing or build up before they tossed you in at the end of the season. The previous enemies were scarier. Half the viewers don't even remember you."

The demonic vehicle briefly wondered if that was their idea of insults before Apocalymon reacted. The planetoid-sized entity wasn't responding to them, however. He smashed his oversized claw into the ground, apparently crushing the girl, Ryo, and the two digimon.

"No!" yelled Behemoth's passenger.

The bike didn't need to be a mind reader to know that it should head towards the newest crater to join the collection of depressions formed today. His riders need to know if Apocalymon had succeeded _now _or else. Even with the motorcycle's impressive speed, it hadn't neared the claw before a pair of voices reached them and assured HiAndromon of his friends' continued survival.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Determination Activate!"

"Digi-Modify! Cwest of Innocence Activate!"

"Suzie, you're brother would have killed me," Kazu's voice muttered in relief as two bright lights appeared.

"Cyberdramon Crest Biomerge to… Justimon Determination Mode!"

"Lopmon Crest Biomerge to… Cherubimon Innocence Mode!"

**I figure that anyone who goes against the same, nearly all-powerful entity through numerous video games (each time, his enemy changing into a new form) with little to no help from dependable friends, they **_**have**_** to be pretty determined. Really, Ryo has to have nearly a goggle-head level of determination to keep going through all that. I figure that has to be the only reason he can keep going was because he is a very determined individual who never gives up or gives in (probably part of the reason Milleniummon is so intrigued). So, that is why he gets the Crest of Determination. And the color is reversed on the crest the same way the color on his D-arc is reversed.**

**And Ryo also has a majority of his memories back in some form or another. Some of his memories of his time in the Digidestined universe are still missing or fuzzy, but they are less immediately important and will return in time. He was trying to move on with his life anyway, so he shouldn't be too upset about it. The point is that he is, more or less, back to his old self again.**

**Yes, they are facing Apocalymon. He isn't necessarily as powerful as the one that tried to destroy everyone in Season 1, but he's worse than the one that showed up in that weird window of digimon who asked Rika to be their tamer before Renamon appeared to her. His boasts about kicking the Sovereign out of power? Who knows if it is possible, but he certainly thinks so. The tamers will have their hands full in both universes.**

**I enjoy reviews greatly. They are wonderful encouragement to me and make me smile. Thanks for reading and I hope to have feedback.**


	56. Ragnarok

**Blame two papers I had to write (neither of which had to do with digital creatures in any way) for the lateness of this chapter. I did as much as I could in my spare time, however.**

**Officially, this chapter marks an important point. This story is now twice the number of chapters, over twice the number of words, and has over twice the reviews as the previous story, "Destiny," has at this point (those statistics might change after I have the chance to go over the story to do some malicious editing and revision in order to improve the quality and depth). I find it hilarious the length it has grown to in comparison to its predecessor and the fact it isn't quite finished yet. There are still several chapters and events to go and, hopefully, a few more twists you are not expecting.**

**And now, it is time to see our enemy's true form (or, at least the one he is using for this fight). Behold his might and tremble with fear! No one can stand before a creature of such power and violent desires. He is the ultimate source of chaotic destruction! Everyone is doomed!**

…**Sorry, couldn't resist. A little evil bragging is always fun. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

It was huge. As in "dwarfs skyscrapers, whales, and maybe even Azulongmon" huge. The creature had rose from the blue mist and kept rising until it was towering over anything else. The being possessed four long limbs ending in thick, blue claws. Along the massive back was a shiny, segmented, blue shell or armor with curved, thorn-like spikes running down the spine. The segmentation would imply a certain level of flexibility and possibly even the capability to stand upright for short periods, but without sacrificing defense. Thicker, straighter spikes lined the digimon's "shoulders." In comparison to the mass of the body, the rust-red limbs were relatively thin and supple. And yet, these "noodle-like" limbs were thicker around than one of those giant trees on the west coast of North America that he'd read about. The head was turned in the opposite direction currently, so they couldn't see the creature's face yet. But they could see his long, thin, red neck and they could hear him speak.

"Willis," the enormous entity bellowed.

"What _is_ that?" Henry asked from within his mental sphere.

His partner, who'd been wondering the same thing, shared his observations, "It's big, blue, and is looking for 'Willis.' Beyond that, I don't know."

"I've never seen anything like it in the card game," Rika's voice remarked. "If Takato was here, he'd probably tell us it's from season three, episode thirty or whatever."

"I doubt it," Terriermon's voice responded from within the green-armored creature. "There was only two seasons of the show and I'm positive he'd have mentioned something like _this_." As Sakuyamon gave him an odd look, the digimon half of MegaGargomon clarified, "I might not watch the show that much, but I _do_ get on the internet."

"It is that lying traitor, Diaboromon," snarled Marsmon, joining the pair on their temporarily-cleared rooftop. "I recognize him, regardless of his form."

"Terrific," Terriermon's voice remarked sarcastically. "Our enemy always ends up the size a small country. Zhuqiaomon. D-reaper. Why should now be any different?"

"Don't exaggerate," advised Sakuyamon, taking off towards the beast.

"The larger they might become, the harder they shall fall," Marsmon added, following.

"If Impmon was here, he'd call them both ax-crazy," muttered the digimon half of the mechanical being as they went after their companions.

Henry, smiling teasing from within the green orb, retorted, "And you'd tell him to momentai."

"No fair using my word against me," he grumbled.

* * *

The giant digimon that had rose from the blue mist, startling the pair of armored megas immensely, was now towering above the buildings in a fashion that reminded him vaguely of VenomMyotismon on a slightly more unnerving scale. From this angle, he could make out a side view of the creature's head. Attached to a relatively thin and long neck, the head was somewhat elongated with his frenzied green-yellow eyes. His jaw stretched downwards slightly and opened far wider than normal to reveal dagger-like teeth. The pale shade and sunken features, with only the burnt red horn curving from his forehead to add color, gave every impression of being an alien skull.

The head turned away from them, bellowing, "Willis."

"Did it just say 'Willis'?" asked Gallantmon. "Is he here too? How?"

"Don't know, but that thing showing up can't be good," VictoryGreymon answered. "I suggest we forget about the small fry and focus on the giant one."

The reptilian warrior started to take flight, but a voice and accompanying chaos made him pause.

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

Ice encrusted a couple of Chrysalimon they'd been fighting earlier, destroying the pair of blue champions in an explosion of data just as another shape burst into their clearing in the fog. The quadruped was very lupine and robotic in appearance, his metallic body gleaming. While he was blue like most of the mist's inhabitants, he possessed a pair of yellow mechanized wings jutted out on the sides to provide speed and flight. And though only the minimal of the digimon's impressive arsenal was currently visible, Tai had personally seen each hidden weapon in the time he'd known both the mega and the blond-haired musician on his back.

"Hey, Agumon," the Digidestined of Friendship called up to VictoryGreymon, as casually as if they were sitting on the couch in Tai's living room instead of in the middle of a deadly fog-covered battleground. Obviously, the similarity between WarGreymon and his new mega form were apparent enough for the teenager to recognize him. "I like the new look. So, who's the new guy with the wings, where's Tai, and how can we help?"

"Hey, Matt," greeted VictoryGreymon, drawing slight amusement from the confused look concerning the dual voices. "Glad you and MetalGarurumon could join us."

"Tai?"

Within the orange sphere, the youth smiled, "We have tons to tell you, but we have a giant digimon currently standing in the middle of our city that demands our attention. Ready?"

"Sure thing," he nodded, adapting swiftly to the fact his best friend was part of the giant reptile. "Do you think you can keep up with us?"

"The question is," responded VictoryGreymon, "can you?"

The pair of best friends, one Biomerged with his partner and one riding his mega comfortably, took off in the direction of the looming entity. The crimson-armored knight, staring at them for a moment before spreading his numerous wings, followed swiftly. Tai could hear Takato's voice softly muttering behind him.

"Tai and Matt. Both of them together against a giant enemy? Kazu and Kenta are going to kill me for not bringing them."

* * *

Considering they were leaving an upper-story window, it was fairly lucky that they had wings in their crest mode. They weren't, however, the midnight black feathered ones that belonged to Beelzemon or the normal form of Fatemon. The feathers were a softer grey shade, nearly identical in color to that of clouds on a rainy day. Not the storm clouds of thunderstorms that sent Ai and Mako scurrying in fright; the light rain that encouraged them to jump into puddles while laughing. Those wings pushed him upwards and away from the building.

His leather jacket had returned, if somewhat simplified, and now partially covered a slivery breastplate with minimal decoration or designs. Actually, he seemed to be wearing mostly the same outfit he would as Beelzemon while the silvery armor was added on in a fashion that balanced punk biker and noble knight. His belt continued the odd dual-nature by having a sword hanging on his left and what looked like a miniature, hand-held version of his cannon. The sword still held the black stone in the hilt, but smaller diamond-like gems now surrounded it. The spikes on his boots were gone and his smooth silver helmet was now closer to something Justimon would have worn rather than his medieval helm while still allowing his trio of green eyes and his smirk to be visible. Finishing off this odd balance of a gun-toting force of destruction and a sword-swinging entity of protection was a loose chain around his neck with a metal representation of the Crest of Balance dangling from it.

His attention was swiftly ripped away from his new form by a minor detail. Specifically, the _extremely large creature_ that was currently rising out of the fog in the middle of the city and whose head body was still higher than the flying mega. This thing was huge and, even at somewhat of a distance, was very hard to ignore.

Mako, staring at the creature standing above the city skyline from the purple orb he shared with his equally stunned sister, muttered, "He's _big_. What do you think he wants, Impmon?"

Almost in answer to the child's internal question, the giant digimon bellowed, "Willis."

"I'm guessing he wants 'Willis," Munchkin," the twins' partner remarked. "How about we go tell Big Blue over there 'hello'?"

In unison, Ai and Mako nodded within the mental bubble. The sensation of increased power along with the confident tone of their best friend and partner eased any doubts the monstrous size, beyond almost anything they'd ever seen, might raise. Even more inspiring was the other figures they could see heading towards the beast.

Taking a grip on his miniature cannon, which now fit into his hand perfectly instead of encasing it, Fatemon grinned, "He won't know what hit him."

* * *

The digimon, glaring down at Willis as he and some of the other humans were moved away on Youkomon's back, was extremely large. The blue-shelled creature with the bone white face exceeded nearly any being he had ever seen before and certainly fell within his quick estimations based on limb size. His shelled-back, at least from this angle, seemed to be segmented similar to how some arthropods would be or certain types of medieval armor. This segmentation continued underneath the creature, along his stomach, but the segments seemed to be a darker shade of blue nearly bordering on black. This segmentation would undoubtedly offer a high level of protection to the digimon while allowing him to retain plenty of flexibility of movement. Izzy didn't know what this particular entity was called or his capabilities, and doubted his computer would provide that answer since it hadn't worked on Diaboromon's forms years ago, but he didn't need it to know that they needed more help.

"Diaboromon?" the blond boy asked, meeting the gaze of the creature he'd helped create and had just spoken to him.

"I am Ragnamon now," he answered. "I am the end of two worlds. The apocalypse. Armageddon. Ragnarok. Everything shall be destroyed. You shall be destroyed by my own hand. Does this please you, Programmer?"

"No," Willis shook his head, barely audible to Izzy from where Kabutarimon held him.

"Leave him alone," Gargomon shouted. "Gargo Laser!"

Running towards the giant's foot, Turuiemon added, "Gauntlet Claw!"

"Don't," yelled the American digidestined. "He's too strong."

Izzy fully expected Ragnamon to either attack the pair of rabbits or simply squash them underfoot. His cruel gaze suggested he intended to, but another entity interrupted with his own attack on the creature before that could occur.

"Mega Bombardment!"

The series of explosions struck his side, but Ragnamon barely seemed to notice the attack anymore than he did the champions' assault. Another voice, or dual voices, added their power to the attempt.

"Ring of Truth!"

The white-hot circle curved in midflight, striking the mega's face instead of the hard shell and causing him to flinch slightly at least. The circle quickly reversed direction in order to collide with him again. From another direction, two (or maybe three) more voices joined in with their own attacks.

"Metal Wolf Claw!"

"Trident Gaia!"

The twin strikes definitely resulted in a minor flinch, but Izzy was more concerned with the fact he recognized the voices and at least one of the attacks this time. The arrival of MetalGarurumon, along with what sounded like Tai and Agumon, raised his hope. The two teenagers and their partners had a habit of defeating any threat if they worked together. The Digidestined of Knowledge recalled VenomMyotismon as a specific example of their incredible teamwork, along with the original destruction of Diaboromon. The expression on Ragnamon's pale features, one of clear annoyance, suggested that the creature was familiar with that winning trend as well.

"Celestial Arrow!"

"Soul Vanisher!"

"Corona Sanctions!"

"Arrow of Artemis!"

The attacks and voices, familiar and strange, were coming from all directions now, hitting the giant digimon at every angle. From his low position, the Digidestined of Knowledge couldn't spot the attackers. The tall skyscrapers, though damaged by Ragnamon's emergence, blocked that much of the view from those trapped on the ground. He could, however, see the impacts of the fire, ice, and golden light-based strikes and the minimal reactions of the target. It seemed the cavalry had arrived, but he couldn't tell if it would be enough.

* * *

The dark hallways should have felt more ominous and dangerous than they did, especially after that strange rumbling. Any sense of dread she might have experienced at being in this current situation did not, however, have the slightest chance of worming its way past the chaos of her mind. She simply did not have the capacity to consider such things at the moment. The mental defenses she'd constructed during her life to deal with… _everything_… were now utterly broken. The woman she'd become, clinical and cold to her fellow employees and burning with hatred for the digital creatures due to a pain she couldn't even remember the cause of, had shattered in the face of truth. Of course, she couldn't completely revert to the girl she'd been years ago. Too much time had passed and the events of her life since that time couldn't be ignored or forgotten. Letting her past be cast aside, however unknowingly, had lead to her current problem. Instead, she tried to fit together a few fragments of her adult psyche with her childhood experiences in a semi-functioning manner while her fury with Diaboromon for using her as his tool served as a glue to hold the mentality together. She didn't have the time to spare to work through all the issues that the shocking revelation of her past had caused, so she would have to repress those problems for another day. Her therapist would probably scold her for treating her mental health like a clumsy arts and crafts project, but she honestly couldn't care less what that moron thought any longer. She would hack into the system, do what she could to stop Diaboromon, and _then_ she would worry about sorting out her emotions, memories, and life.

Besides, she wasn't alone anymore. The self-imposed isolation that she'd adopted during her teenage years until present day was certainly out the window. Her partner, that wonderful champion currently guiding her steps to ensure the blond woman didn't step into the blue mist still in the halls, was in her life again. And absolutely no one and nothing would divide them again. If those strange man-like beings appeared after all of this to say she couldn't remain with her partner again, she would hit that Gennai person and all his little friends over the head with Darcmon's staff.

"We're almost there," the adult DigiDestined noted. "It should be just around the corner."

As the pair rounded the turn, it was almost what she expected to find there as soon as she spoke. The room was full of the blue fog across the floor, though the computer screen no longer seemed to be spewing the substance. Slightly more concerning were the jellyfish entities that were creeping around the room, along with some that seemed like a clawed paw with still only a single eye. Every single digimon were now staring at them.

"You take care of the computer," suggested Darcmon, "and I'll handle the pests, Tammy." Taking a sword in each hand, the angelic champion announced, "Dancing Sword!"

The deadly strikes of her blade were as graceful and effective as the woman remembered. As soon as enough mist and digimon were gone, the blond human swiftly crossed the distance between herself and the computer system. Any tiny chink in the armor or careless mistake that manipulative Diaboromon might have left in the DADP system, she would find it. If he'd left some type of back-up or other hidden programming in _her_ Guardian, she would find it and destroy it.

She smiled faintly. She'd show that arrogant monster just what it meant to challenge a DigiDestined and a programming expert. She didn't back down from a challenge and she didn't let someone evil remain unharmed for long.

* * *

That traitor Diaboromon, now Ragnamon, stood in the center of that deadly mist. He lied to GuardiAngemon, him, and everyone. He used them to further his own goals of destruction. Marsmon refused to allow this creature to get away with this insult. Each attack from the growing group of megas (and, with the arrival of MagnaAngemon and Angewomon, ultimates) caused only the slightest amount of response from the behemoth. The obvious durability of him demonstrated that Ragnamon would be a true challenge. The perfect opponent, the one that Marsmon had always desired to find, was finally here. Their battle would be legendary and defeating this giant would prove the true power of the warrior.

"You always seem to interfere," chuckled the blue-shelled being, turning his head to stare towards the orange reptile and the blue human-bearing world that Marsmon didn't immediately recognize. "Tai, Matt, Agumon, and Gabumon. I remember you, certainly. Omnimon won once and Palidramon another, but I am now unstoppable. You are doomed to failure."

"Pretty cocky for someone who admits to always losing," MegaGargomon muttered.

The masculine mega, perched on the rooftop of the closest tall building to his enemy, felt a growing sense of aggravation. Not only did Ragnamon not sound like he thought anyone here was a challenge, he was only paying attention to two of those digimon with human partner. Marsmon did not like being ignored. Especially from someone he felt would be such a worthy opponent and wished to be viewed as equally important. He could feel his long-time companion and fellow fighter, Dianamon, glaring at him warningly. She knew he was planning something rash, but his desire to punish this traitor and to engage Ragnamon in battle was too strong to ignore.

Leaping an incredible height, the mega aimed towards the giant digimon's head, shouting, "Face me, Ragnamon. Mugen Ha…!"

"Catastrophic Meltdown!" interrupted the monster before Marsmon could begin the elaborate series of strikes or even come close to his target.

A beam of orange-yellow, almost plasma-like energy exploded out of Ragnamon's fang-filled mouth and engulfed the attacking mega. It took less than a second to go from unimaginable pain to a tingling sensation to oblivion; not even enough time to scream.

* * *

_The warrior mega that served GuardiAngemon was destroyed. His usefulness was over and he served as a perfect experiment on the effectiveness of his new body. The perfect form to destroy two worlds and, more importantly, Willis._

_The boy, his partner and the Programmer, was here with the two… digimon. They might have become his partner first, but Willis was his. Only part of him, the virus that was an essential part of his existence, had ever seen him in real life. Aiming explosives at the boy from a computer, even if he was creeping through systems in the same country as him, just wasn't the same. He could actually touch the blond-haired digidestined now with his talons, crush the life from his precious body, and happily reduce his form into dust. And that Gargomon and Turuiemon would no longer have Willis all to themselves. If he hadn't been distracted, he would have crushed the greedy pair already._

_And he _was_ somewhat distracted. He was still receiving input from his weaker copies,_ _his little clone army that were scurrying through the mist, and Tamiko Mizutani was still running around the DADP building._ _From his new body, he couldn't keep the mist form of the Guardian program producing. There was still plenty coating the city, but there was no more spewing from the computers. A small price to pay for the pleasure of destroying Willis personally. And the woman was no threat and could be ignored now. He had far greater concerns than her._

_The digidestined, both familiar and strange, were a threat still. As soon as his new body rose out of the Guardian program that formed it, they had begun to close in and attack. Mostly, their strikes were nothing more dangerous than the bites of insects. His very data was enhanced by the strength and power of the blue fog that drained energy from anything it encountered. Logically, they would be no threat. Past experience, however, had demonstrated the dangers they could pose when they… interfere. Especially the supposed leaders of them and their closest companions. Tai and Matt. Davis and Ken. Yes, they could disrupt his plans when they chose. And with those megas of GuardiAngemon, his former tools, now helping the children… He would have to be smarter to succeed._

_Everyone and everything would be destroyed. The number of digidestined, the power of their allies, and the unexplained ability of some digimon and children to combine were irrelevant in the end. He'd planned it too well and took too many precautions. His Guardian program, his copies, and his greatest form would decimate their attempts to defeat him. And, even _**if**_ they managed by some highly improbable chance to defeat him, the suspicion that he'd cultivated in both humans and digimon with silken words and careful comments he'd deposited on the internet prior to his last defeat could heighten to acts of war if allowed to fester with only _**children**_ willing to defend the opposition. They would destroy each other if things progressed. And he'd hidden a copy of his awareness, similar to what existed in his copies and yet even more complete, within the systems of DADP as he did three months ago. Even if his body died, his mind would live on to return again. He would be able to observe the possible war between the two worlds and aid in their destruction if his current plan _**did**_ fail. He was prepared for anything. No matter what the digidestined did, they could not truly win._

_Ragnamon turned away from where Marsmon once was, his eyes glancing around the growing group of digimon. He took pleasure in their expressions of shock, horror, dread, and even a hint of fear. Marsmon's once fellow team mate, Dianamon, looked especially upset. The ease of the mega's destruction seemed to unnerving to them. They were realizing how perfect his new body was and how impossible it was to defeat him._

_He glanced back down towards Willis and the collection of low level digimon and humans. The blond digidestined looked stunned and utterly horrified. Ragnamon bared his fangs in a twisted version of a smile. Surely the Programmer could see how wonderful a partner he was. There was no possible way the two rabbit-like digimon could destroy him so perfectly._

* * *

**There we go. A name and appearance for our enemy. In case you can't guess, Ragnamon's name comes from "Ragnarok," the Viking version of the end of the world. Ragnarok involves lots of fighting, blood and death, and general violence (it **_**was**_** the Viking version of the apocalypse, after all). His appearance draws some inspiration from Infermon and a specific type of trilobite that my teacher showed a picture of in class (complete with spikes). You'll see plenty more from him. **

**Fatemon Balance Mode was based on the idea of trying to combine the awesomeness of Beelzemon as the ultimate biker and the idea of a noble medieval warrior. Best of both worlds. I hope he ends up being as good as I hope, especially once he joins in on the fight.**

**The first casualty has died (sorry, Marsmon… you won't be back). There will be further fighting to come and I'll try to update as quickly as possible. Reviews are always welcome. Your feedback entertains me.**


	57. Near Misses and Close Encounters

**Another chapter for your enjoyment. I decided to point out a little fact about one of the Digidestined that people tend to forget. Just because Mimi is a little… unfocused, ditzy, and girlish at times does not mean she is not a valuable asset. Her concern with fashion and lack of sense at times can make you forget that, but she has her moments of awesome too. When things get bad, she can get serious and pull off some surprises.**

**I had a little trouble with minor writer's block and school stress, and when I finally tried to post this chapter... the site wouldn't let me. Thus, I'm sorry it took a while. I hope it was worth it. Thanks.**

He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All Willis could do was stare at the empty space where a digimon once was. This was the first time he knew for certain that his mistake had directly killed someone. It was possible that Diaboromon had caused fatal traffic accidents or other problems by messing with electronics in the past and he always had his suspicions of what might have occurred while the virus corrupted to Lopmon, but none of those fears quite matched the horror of watching Ragnamon destroy a fellow digimon with a single blast. It didn't matter that digimon would become digi-eggs when they die. The fact that his creation killed someone meant that Willis was responsible for murder. Every death would ultimately be his fault. This monster was going to kill everyone: his partners, his friends, untold numbers of innocent people and digimon. And he would only have himself to blame.

"Willis, snap out of it," Mimi shouted, pulling his eyes away from the sky towards her face. The normally ditzy-seeming Digidestined of Sincerity looked rather determined. For a moment, the blond boy was reminded that this bubbly fashion-conscious teenager spent months in another world facing numerous digimon trying to harm her and came out not only alive, but having helped over throw a number of powerful evil digimon. One of the stories about the group's adventures stated she and Joe formed an army of ally digimon that she led to the battle against Piedmon. The pajama-wearing girl being carried by Kabuterimon might be usually carefree, but she could be serious and logical when she needed to. And she certainly wasn't ditzy at this moment. "We'll keep that from happening again, but we need to focus now."

Nodding slightly in response to her words, he looked at where Youkomon was heading with her passengers. The intersection between two streets offered plenty of room with no overhanging architecture that could fall on them and was far enough from Ragnamon that they could possibly breathe easier. The only problem with the location was that it was the edge of their mist-free area. They would be near the fog bank and about three Keramon were already there. They would have to clear it and since most of the champions and Lillymon were either transporting or defending their retreat, it would be up to the smaller digimon like Mikemon to…

"Lion-heart Blade!"

The shouted attack was accompanied by the destruction of a section of blue fog and two of the aggressive rookies. Stepping through the new opening in the mist was a large humanoid lion with a sword and a shield. He had a cape and looked very capable of taking on anyone present without even trying. Shifting his grip on his shield, he turned towards the remaining Keramon.

"Defensive Power!"

The leonine digimon hurled the round shield at the rookie like the comic book character, Captain America. And, just like the fictional hero, the normally defensive object did considerable damage to the target. Keramon shattered in a burst of data and the shield ricocheted off a lamp post behind the dissolved rookie and back to his waiting grip.

"It looks somewhat like Regulumon, an alternate mega form of Leomon," commented Izzy, who was apparently working off of memory since he couldn't access his computer while being carried by Kabuterimon. "But it's different…"

"Need some help?" the leonine warrior asked, his voice somehow giving the impression of having two speakers and one sounding almost female.

"Jeri?" gasped the Digidestined of Knowledge. "Prodigious. Is this Biomerging?"

"Sort of," the creature answered, but only with the female voice. "It's Biomerging with a mode change. Leomon and I are here to help." Switching to the deeper voice, he finished, "And we assume from the alarming digimon above the city that you require all the assistance you can get."

As he climbed off of the purple fox's back, Willis couldn't help muttering, "You can say that again."

* * *

Gallantmon had almost reached the titanic Ragnamon following behind Takato's idols, and was able to clearly see the destruction of Marsmon. One detached part of the tamer wondered when the former enemy mega had arrived the human world and when he apparently became an ally. A greater portion of his mind was staring in stunned horror of the effortless murder. A single attack had utterly destroyed the powerful entity and Ragnamon barely seemed to have noticed. In fact, judging by the creature's booming words that easily carried across the fog enshrouded city, all he had noticed so far was the presence of Willis somewhere below.

The demonstration of power was impressive, but Takato dug up enough stubbornness to counter any fear of defeat. There was no possible way he would let Ragnamon win and get away with all of this harm. They _would_ win. They would find a way to stop him and save everyone.

The firm belief was matched by an equally fierce conviction from the digital half of Gallantmon, filling the mega with the willpower to face their powerful foe. This was the same unwavering faith of the possibility of success that allowed him to charge into the D-reaper to save Jeri. The concept of failure was not even conceivable. It wasn't even a possibility. He and Guilmon would not allow Ragnamon to cause any further harm.

The crimson knight could feel something powerful, a new form of strength, just barely out of reach. Somehow, he knew he was close to unlocking a new potential. An idea, a concept, or something equally enlightening was almost his. All he needed was to…

"Hey, Goggle-head," a familiar voice shouted, shattering the concentration of the mega. He lost his grasp on the nearly-realized capability and became abruptly aware of how quickly their thoughts had been moving and how little time had passed. Whatever he'd been on the brink of discovering had not taken any time practically. The interrupter, apparently changing direction to meet him, continued, "Did I just see that Hot-Head, Marsmon, bite the dust?"

Turning his head, he caught sight of someone who didn't quite look like Beelzemon and not quite like Fatemon. Instead, it was some kind of mixture between the two. But the voice was obviously Impmon's.

"Yeah," Gallantmon muttered, both halves sounding vaguely confused about the odd sensation earlier of nearly finding something important.

The grey-winged mega took the confusion to be in reference to his new appearance and remarked, "Then how about we introduce Big Blue to Fatemon Balance Mode? We can double team him. Unless you're set on working with the Hairball…"

Mako's voice added, "Please, Gallantmonn? It'll be so cool."

"Sure thing," he agreed. "Be careful though."

"We will," Ai's voice chirped.

As the pair of megas launched themselves toward the gigantic beast, Guilmon quietly asked his partner, "What was that earlier, Takato?"

"No clue," he answered from within his mental bubble, "but it was weird."

* * *

After two separate battles with Marsmon, she knew exactly how effective he could fight and how well he could survive attacks. He did, after all, back hand her Spirit Strike during their first encounter without even breaking stride. So watching him essentially vaporize in a blast of hot plasma was an unpleasant jolt of fear that she didn't appreciate experiencing. She had faced plenty of dangerous situations in the past with overwhelming odds and yet the idea of being this close to such destructive potential was not a comfortable one. And she didn't _like_ being afraid. She was the Digimon Queen, a long-time tamer, and wasn't supposed to suffer from that sort of thing by this point.

"Fear is a warning of danger and nothing to be ashamed of as long as you heed the warning without being paralyzed by it," Renamon's voice assured her, though she sounded uneasy with what just occurred as well. "He's dangerous and strong, so we'll have to be smarter."

As Sakuyamon, she could feel the shock and horror radiating off the other digimon in response to Ragnamon's attack, though Dianamon was also putting off strong waves of hurt and fury. She could feel a more distant group closer to the ground level. They were reacting in fear with a distinct spike of guilt. Since she didn't know who she was sensing, she didn't know who might be experiencing the guilt. Perhaps that Willis person the enormous creature kept speaking about. What was creepy was the mixture emotions she could feel coming from Ragnamon himself. It was an impossible combination of smugness, an insatiable hunger for destruction, calm logic, a thirst for revenge of the past, and what felt like a twisted version of the love between partners. He felt insane and perfectly in control at the same time. A dangerous combination.

Once a moment of the group's shared stunned horror had passed, Ragnamon bared his fangs in a sickening smile. His expression of twisted satisfaction seemed to only enrage Dianamon further. It wasn't clear which of the mood-swinging mega's "sides" was in charge at the moment. She was completely united in her desire to destroy him.

"Die," snarled the crescent moon-covered being, her sapphire eyes blazing. "Arrow of Artemis!"

She grabbed and fired her icy projectiles rapidly, striking the creature's head, neck and shoulders in a crazed rush. Ragnamon seemed to find the storm of arrows annoying, though not dangerous, and turned to face her. She didn't wait to see if she could survive his attack better than her companion and took care not to end up in front of his mouth.

"We need some good defensive power and a plan to handle this guy," explained MegaGargomon. "We have an effective shield-like attack."

"We do too," responded Sakuyamon, glancing around the collective group of digimon who were preparing to rejoin the furious arrow-firing mega in the attack. "You cover the angels and Dianamon and I handle MetalGarurumon and VictoryGreymon?"

"Works for me," Terriermon's voice answered as the green mechanical being moved closer to MagnaAngemon and Angewomon.

"Final Justice!" a familiar dual-voiced entity announced.

The memorable attack slammed into the side of Ragnamon's face, resulting in an actual flinch. The crimson-armored Gallantmon, who she hadn't seen since the battle against the D-reaper and rescue of Jeri, was flying into battle alongside another mega that Renamon instantly recognized as another form of Impmon. The pair caught sight of her and MegaGargomon and paused.

"Did you shrink?" Takato's voice asked, Gallantmon's sword pointing toward the green metallic being.

Terriermon's voice swiftly answered, "Yes, but the firepower is just as strong as over." Aiming in the same direction as Dianamon's peppered arrows, the mechanical mega announced, "Mega Bombardment!"

"Elemental Kitsune!" Sakuyamon shouted, adding the enhanced fox-like entities to the battle.

"Love the new look, toots," the grey-winged mega grinned. "Try this one on for size." Lifting up what looked like a shrunken version of Beelzemon's cannon, he announced, "Chaos Destruction!"

The weapon produced an icy blue orb of energy that slammed into the creature in the same spot that one of MegaGargomon's missiles struck seconds before. The impact of the attack demonstrated the smaller size of the object had not lessened its deadliness, but only seemed to annoy Ragnamon and to draw his attention to a more stationary target than Dianamon was proving to be.

"Catastrophic Meltdown!"

"Purifying Flame Protection!" Sakuyamon screamed simultaneously, throwing up her shield around the mega barely in time to prevent disaster.

The plasma-like attack was halted, but the effort of stopping it was intense and left the shaman-like entity gasping. She should have known it would be powerful after what happened to Marsmon, and yet she still managed to block it. If she hadn't been in her Crest Mode and tried to use Talisman Sphere, Ragnamon would have shredded through it like rice paper. She did, however, have her doubts if she'd be able to manage too many more of those blocks.

"Thanks, toots," nodded her friend sheepishly after a moment. "I've got to watch out for that better."

"You better," Rika answered back from her mental bubble. "One of these days, you're going to run out of luck, get into trouble, and neither me, Renamon, nor a miracle will get you out of it in time."

Folding his wings to dive toward the underside of Ragnamon, Impmon's voice joked, "Fox-face would never let me down. She's crazy about me."

"_Someone_ is crazy at least," the red-haired tamer muttered from within the mega before the data type shouted, "Ring of Truth!"

* * *

"Arrow of Artemis!" she snarled, firing rapidly at the enormous monster.

How dare he? How _dare_ he? The blue-eyed mega continued to rain down her icy projectiles as she swerved through the air near the creature. Her explosion of hatred and violence that she was unleashed against him was actually a reaction from her calmer, gentler side. The harsher, more aggressive emotional reactive side would be far worse and would be too busy lashing out to try defending herself. However, both halves were united in the desire to make this creature pay. Not only for betraying and tricking GuardiAngemon, who she had served loyally and looked up to as a protector of those in need, but also for killing Marsmon. That death was the final straw. It was simply intolerable. The worst part was that she wasn't certain if she was more upset with Ragnamon for firing the attack or for the sexist, battle-eager fool for committing such a dumb suicidal move.

Out of all of GuardiAngemon's loyal followers, she'd always been closest to Marsmon. He wasn't as childish as Minervamon, who she could only get along with when she was in her better mood, and was more interesting than Valkyrimon. And the fact he was willing to concede that she was "almost" as good as a male in combat gave her hope that he saw her as a close friend as well. In the end, she would never know for _certain_ if he viewed her as a team mate, a friend, something more special than that, or as merely a female who was slightly better than average. She would never know because he was gone.

"Arrow of Artemis!"she shouted again, firing at the creature's shrunken eyes. He closed them and gave an aggravated hiss, though it was uncertain if it was from her frozen bolts or the other digimon's attacks that she was vaguely aware of occurring around her. Growing frustrated, she closed the distance between her and Ragnamon to slice at his face with her large bladed weapon savagely. Completely ignoring the fact that she was essentially doing what led to Marsmon's death, she continued to hack away and snarled, "Why don't you just die?"

With surprising swiftness for a creature his size, Ragnamon raised one of his taloned limbs to slap her aside like a harmless insect. The question of whether she would survive the impact or be killed by the force was never answered because something faster reached her first. The blue-eyed mega found herself yanked aside by a fast and feathery friend.

"Dianamon, that was extremely foolish," commented Valkyrimon, releasing her after his quick rescue. "You need to take greater care."

"Sorry," she muttered softly before her eyes hardened. With surprising venom, she snapped, "Though I don't remember asking for your help."

Used to her swift changes in mood, he was unfazed by her reaction. With a nod, the avian mega shot back towards Ragnamon while drawing his blade.

"Feral Sword!" he shouted, his slash forming ice across the creature's cheek. Zipping across the aerial battlefield, he repeated his earlier move to the other side of his face. "Feral Sword!"

"Golden Ripper!" a deeply familiar and welcome voice announced, striking Ragnamon with a cross-shaped blast of glowing energy.

"Heaven's Charm!" another voice, Angewomon's, added as a similarly-shaped attack hit from the other side.

"Soul Vanisher!" a third speaker, Angemon, shouted and struck the creature with purifying energy.

The quick succession of attacks, at least three of angelic origin, actually managed to produce a pained hiss and a step backwards. The crashing should of other structures' destruction barely raised her notice. All she cared about was that her master, GuardiAngemon, was here. He would avenge the death of Marsmon. He would make Ragnamon pay.

* * *

Mari clutched Pafumon tightly in her arms. The large digimon that were trying to help and protect people, like the bug, the rabbits, the purple fox, Devidramon, the flower fairy, and now the lion warrior, were all impressive. On the other hand, the giant monster overhead was terrifying. Even her brother and Mikemon, the bravest people she knew, looked afraid. The other strange digimon, racing around the sky attacking it, didn't seem to be doing that great either.

"Pah," whimpered her baby partner.

"It'll be all right," she whispered, hugging the little digimon closer.

Abruptly, a blue metallic wolf broke off from the aerial combat and landed in the middle of the group. A blond teenager quickly climbed off and gave the digimon a nod.

"Good luck up there, MetalGarurumon," the teen smiled encouragingly before his partner took flight towards the monster again.

"Matt," shouted the older boy, Izzy. "Welcome."

"Glad to see you," he called back. "Saw you on the news and decided to come to the party. Care to explain who all these people are and _how_ in the _world_ Tai and Agumon combined together?"

"They Biomerged?" Izzy asked, his eyes widening in shock. "Prodigious. That is amazing."

"Bio-_what_?"" Matt responded.

"I'll explain later," answered the teenager. "Right now, we need a plan to help the others."

The girl wearing pajamas interrupted, "Anyone who can fly can help directly, but those on the ground can only reach Ragnamon's foot."

The blond boy's jaw dropped in shock," Mimi? When did you get here?"

"Willis and I came here because you're in trouble, silly," she responded. "Where else would we be when there's danger?"

"Even if we send in the aerial digimon and the ground forces against our opponent, we still need some defense for ourselves," Izzy reasoned. "Gargomon, Turuiemon, and Mikemon would be ideal for that task, but we need at least one more nimble digimon in order to be properly…"

His description was interrupted as another figure dropped down from above. Landing easily from the rooftop of the closest building, the strange being looked like a girl wearing a giant snakeskin and carrying a blade nearly equal to her own height. Mari thought she was rather pretty, if odd looking, with her blue braids and mischievous smile.

"Hi, do you need help? I'm supposed to be helping out since humans aren't really bad and annoying after all," the new arrival announced in a fairly excited and bubbly voice. "On, and I'm Minervamon, by the way. Since Diaboromon was mean and tricked everyone, all of us are supposed to do anything to help to make him sorry and to make up for the mistake. But I can't fly and hit the big guy, but neither can a bunch of you. So, want to work together and stuff?"

"Sure, you can help protect everyone," Mimi answered quickly. "That way, Lillymon and the others don't have to worry about us while dealing with the ugly creep, Ragnamon."

Nodding, Minervamon chirped, "You know, I think I'm going to like you. Which is good since I'm not supposed to pound your face into the ground anymore. I don't like beating up someone I like."

"Great," Kyo muttered. "She's crazy."

"But she's also a mega," pointed out Mikemon.

"I guess we have a plan," the grown man, Ren, nodded.

* * *

Blasting away at Ragnamon was like hitting a tank with a water balloon. Well, it was a little more effective than that. Occasionally, the behemoth would flinch or hiss in pain, but the attacks were more of an annoyance than a threat. Perhaps the energy-draining blue mist he had risen from had something to do with the creep's extreme invulnerability. Or it could just be this unnaturally strong. Luckily, his main attack was easy enough to avoid if you kept away from that fanged mouth. And, since Dianamon's near splattering, everyone had watched the clawed limbs for their dangerous speed. As long as they could avoid Ragnamon's retaliation, Fatemon intended to keep trying to do some actual damage.

So far, hitting the face or the underbelly of the beast hadn't yielded any results. His next move was to attack from above. Of course, getting above the giant would take a little effort considering the heights involved and he might as well take some back up with him.

"Hey Pineapple-head," he yelled across the battlefield to where the Biomerged mega was trying to slice at the creature's shoulder. "Follow me."

The two winged digimon started heading skyward, climbing far higher than anyone else was going currently. Hitting the digimon from this distance above would ensure that they would be out of easy striking range if Ragnamon tried to retaliate and no one else should get in the way of their strikes at this angle. The increased number of megas and ultimates joining in, especially those who relied on close-combat, and the limited vulnerable-looking area that wasn't protected by the shell, was raising the risk of harming an ally.

"Think we can break through the shell on his back?" asked Gallantmon as they continued to increase their altitude.

"Nothing else is working and it's worth a shot," he responded. "If we both hit him together, there is at least a chance."

Takato's voice muttered, "I don't have any better ideas, so we'll give your plan a try."

"Glad to hear it," grinned the green-eyed mega. "While everyone is distracting Big Blue, we hit the spot where the first two segments of shell meet. That should be one of the weaker areas of his back."

Gallantmon nodded. It was still rather odd to consider that the first opponent the Biomerged knight fought against was the crazed and violent alternate mega form of his current ally. The digimon portion of Fatemon found the idea that he was trusting and trusted by the same combined pair who once tried to kill him for his actions was the clearest proof of how much things had changed. Those who once fought against each other were now fighting with each other.

"Ready?" asked Gallantmon.

"Aim," nodded Fatemon.

As they prepared to finish their countdown, Ragnamon abruptly moved. Their target rose up on his back legs with a snarl. This unexpected action resulted in placing the pair at chest height with the creature. Before either could react, one of the taloned limbs grabbed Gallantmon in his crushing grip.

**Cliffhanger time. Our Royal Knight in the hands of a crazy, giant creep. That can't be good. Hope you can stand the wait until this problem is handled.**

**Of course our American digidestined Willis is able to draw comparisons between our shield throwing leonine warrior and a certain shield throwing hero. I couldn't resist. I'm too familiar with comic book characters. And if you're wondering what was going on with Gallantmon earlier in the chapter... you'll have to wait for answers just like him.**

**Feedback is always loved by the writer. Thanks.**


	58. Confidence

**Sorry about the horrible cliffhanger last time. That was just a little mean of me. I should probably address that and relieve your poor distressed minds.**

**Unfortunately for you, I am not going to be discussing events in the Digidestined's universe this time. We're checking back in on the group fighting Apocalymon. So, if you're still worried about Gallantmon or anything, you'll just have to wait.**

**I have also been considering the idea of including a speech by one of the characters; the kind of inspiring and heart-warming speeches that earn actors an award because of how moving it ends up being. The kind of speech that is passed down through the generations in history books due to how important and amazing that speech is. The type of speech that takes an ordinary person from hopeless and despondent to a confident state that is ready to lead the charge into battle. A speech that will leave readers stunned by the breath-taking brilliance of it. I decided to include that type of speech and it delivered by the one individual whose gift of language and ability to fit so much meaning every phrase would be able to truly take advantage of this speech.**

**Now that I have wasted enough of your time with an introduction, it's time to get on with the show. Enjoy.**

For a split second of horror, the bespectacled tamer felt positive his heart had stopped. The claw had apparently crushed Suzie, Ryo, and their respective partners. Kenta's mind raced, trying to identify a point where he could have prevented it. Should he have run after the girl? Would that have saved her? What would he tell Henry? Her parents? How would…?

"Cyberdramon Crest Biomerge to…"

"Lopmon Crest Biomerge to…"

A miracle, in Kenta's opinion, had struck the group in the nick of time it seemed. In addition to the revived Digimon King not being dead again, he didn't have to explain to Henry how his little sister was crushed by the final villain of season one. The twin lights of digivolution materialized on either side of the claw. One grew fairly large while the other was only growing to the size of several familiar mega forms, like Gallantmon or Sakuyamon. The dark-haired boy could guess fairly easily which digimon was which.

The smaller digimon was clearly the combination of Ryo and Cyberdramon. It was as if the silvery shape of Justimon had gained an edge. Sharp, retractable blades appeared on his forearms. On his back was a folded set of short, dark red, angular wings that reminded the bespectacled tamer of the yellow ones of MetalGarurumon. Turning his head slightly, he could see that his faceless mask was just as emotionless as before. His flowing red scarf was shorter and was a darker shade, almost maroon, but still wrapped around the mega's neck. Turning further, the boy could make out a starburst shape enameled across his chest in a similar dark tone of red as the scarf and propulsive wings. The rest of the metal that covered his body was now a dark shade of grey in color instead of bright silver, but without losing its shine. The entire creature gave off a sense of impending victory.

"…Justimon Determination Mode!"

The larger one was rather pretty, for a giant angelic bunny. Truly, the former Deva had out done herself. Her new mega form had lost the clown-like collar and her bright, cheerful colors had muted to a softer shade of rose and cream. Her large hands had taken a more elegant, slimmed appearance and grasped two thin sticks. Attached to the sticks were long, lavender ribbons. Her tall ears were still upright and had a Holy Ring at the base of each one, but were smoother and more rabbit-like than Cherubimon's normal look. Around her neck, tied by another lavender ribbon was a golden amulet engraved with the symbol of the Crest of Innocence.

"…Cherubimon Innocence Mode!"

Then, Suzie's voice remarked in stunned delight as the angelic bunny examined the objects in her hands, "I'm a wibbon dancer."

"Do you want your big brother to kill me? What were you thinking?" the coppery-metal humanoid Kenta had spotted earlier shouted in Kazu's voice from on top of Behemoth…

Wait, Behemoth?

He'd seen the vehicle earlier, but had been too distracted to properly identify it. What in the world (human or digital) was his friend doing on the mind-controlling psycho bike? It was crazy, stupid… and kind of cool. So, while the bespectacled tamer was stuck in the ocean and nearly killed by MarineDevimon, his best friend was riding a demonic motorcycle. Not to mention he activated his crest and Biomerged into a new mega form. Thus, his suspicions that he was one of the weaker tamers present were proven once again since everyone present except for Yamaki were ahead of him once again.

"Scold her later," advised Justimon. "We have more pressing problems."

As the Biomerged mega finished the sentence, the planetoid-sized Apocalymon struck towards the angelic rabbit, snarling, "Crimson Lightning!"

"Pure of Heart!" she shouted back, a beam of golden light erupting from her amulet and smashing the jagged bolts of red electricity.

"Pii," gasped MarineAngemon. "Puh-pi."

"It is impressive," his tamer had to admit. "And pretty."

Cherubimon's attack had been directed towards blocking her opponent, not trying to harm him. Justimon, however, was skipping the defensive to go directly on the offensive.

Activating his new miniature wings, he launched himself skywards, steering towards the closest twisted-chain limb. This limited flight pushed him higher and faster than even his impressive leaping skills. He was able to reach his target before Apocalymon could crush him.

"Razor's Edge!" he shouted, the blades on his arms extending and gaining a bright green glow.

He slashed the strange, twisted limbs, producing a pained hiss and a flinch from Apocalymon as he yanked back from the smaller mega. As the planetoid-sized creature tried to retaliate with another claw, Justimon briefly employed his small wings again to back-flip in mid-air out of the way.

"Nice one," yelled HiAndromon as he rode to a better position. His arm transformed and he aimed it upwards, "Ion Cannon!"

The android's attack struck the same point that the cyborg's blades had struck, producing another growl of annoyance. Lashing out with another limb, Apocalymon's claw transformed into a swarm of dark, bat-like creatures.

"Evil Wing!" announced the planetoid-sized digimon as they swarmed Justimon.

"How'd he…" Kenta began

"Pi-puh pu-pu-pi," interrupted MarineAngemon, gesturing towards the battlefield.

The dark-haired tamer blinked, "What do you mean 'go out there'? This is _Apocalymon_. He's huge, powerful, and definitely not in a good mood. I know you're a mega too, but it would be like a remote control car playing chicken against a monster truck. He'll crush you."

"Momentai," responded the pink creature. "Pi. Pu-pii."

"No, I won't take it easy and, yes, I do have faith in you," he assured quickly, barely noticing the battle anymore or the confused expression on Yamaki's face as he tried to follow the conversation. "I just don't think you could handle this alone. And I…"

MarineAngemon rolled his eyes as the boy trailed off, "Kenta. Pi-pi-puh-pi. Pu-puh pu-pii. Puh. Pii?"

"I _know_," he muttered, trying to ignore how much sense the little digimon's words were making. "But…"

"No," interrupted his partner. "Quiet. Pii-pi-pii-pi puh pi pi-pi pu pii. Good tamer." The little pink entity waved his flipper-like arms empathetically, "Pi-pii-pii-puh puh puh-pi pi pi! Puh pii-pi? Pii-puh pi pii? Puh-puh-puh. Pii-pii-pi. Pu-puh-pu pii-pu-pii. Pi-puh puh pii. Pi-pii-pii puh pi." Pausing in the middle of the longest continuous and rather moving speech Kenta had ever heard MarineAngemon make, the mega floated over and rubbed his head affectionately against the boy's in a way rather reminiscent of a cat. "Puh-pii. Believe in you. Always."

He grinned at the rather heartwarming support, "Thanks. And you're right; I can do this. We'll figure something out. We'll find a way."

"Fearless leader," agreed MarineAngemon, using Kazu's amusing nickname for his friend. "Pi pi pii."

"Not quite 'fearless,' but I think we can help anyway. Even if I'm not one hundred percent certain of how to Biomerge again, I'll put all those hours playing cards against Kazu and Takato to use." he smiled wryly, "I never won a game, but there's always a first time. And you're absolutely right; I'm a tamer because I have the potential to do amazing things if I chose. We can be the heroes that save the world even. We just have to go out there and prove it."

"Pii-puh-pii," the pink mega cheered.

Abruptly, a ringing sound erupted in his ears. In addition, a blinding light emanated from the card-like object around the dark-haired boy's neck. While he didn't remember the noise last time, the glowing was exactly like what happened to Suzie's crest. Lines of a lighter shade of pink, the color of the ring on his D-arc that his mother had referred to as "rose," ran across the surface to form an image. A pair of parallel lines formed, curving away from each other at the end slightly until they were J-shaped. On the curved tipped end, a triangle was nestled between the two. In a way, it vaguely resembled an object resting on a pedestal.

Strangely, the ringing sound began to morph into a voice. Or maybe voices. Either way, words began to emerge from the previous noise. And while he was used to making sense out of odd forms of communication, turning ringing into comprehensive words was a new one for him.

Confidence. A knowledge of your potential with no doubts of its range. Belief in one's self and abilities without conceit or arrogance. The power to remain calm and collected in dire situations against impossible odds because you know you are capable of success. In circumstances that seem beyond your grasp, remaining confident is the key to overcome.

Beware of losing your faith in yourself. No outside force can weaken a person's abilities as much as the internal power of self-doubt. If confidence is allowed to erode away, then your capabilities fade and diminish as well. Believing in yourself gives more strength than any tool.

Just as dangerous, however, is too great of confidence. Without sense to balance it out, you will march forward blindly into failure. Faith in your abilities must be supported with truth or you may reach far beyond your personal capabilities. Neither too little nor too much will bring you success. Only when you have belief in yourself without your ego expanding beyond reason will you be at your greatest power.

Confidence.

"That was weird," confided Kenta. "Did anyone else hear all of that?"

"Pi," nodded MarineAngemon.

"No more than I heard when Suzie's activated," Yamaki admitted. "I assume you are heading out there now."

The boy took a deep breath and nodded, "We are. Stay here with Calumon and be careful."

Without another word or giving himself an opportunity to change his mind, the bespectacled tamer broke into a run away from the protective cover of the forest and straight onto the battlefield. A brief thought about the irony of how his current actions mirrored those of Suzie popped into his head. With the pink mega by his side, Kenta waited he was far enough across the torn-up terrain before sliding the card-like object through his D-arc.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Confidence Activate!"

He briefly saw his partner revert to a small grey creature, Bukamon, before they were both enveloped in light.

"Bukamon Crest Biomerge to… Plesiomon Confidence Mode!"

* * *

She was sorry to have worried everyone, but she had to run out to Ryo and help him. And even with the complaints that Henry would not have been happy if she was hurt, she would have done it again anyway. He was back and no one would take him away again. She would make sure of that. That included facing the giant evil digimon in the sky.

Of course, she was _also_ a giant digimon now and she would prove that she was just as effective a good guy as anyone else. She was a big girl, after all. When Apocalymon fired the creepy, bat-like things, she refused to be scared of them. Instead, she stared at the swarm with her beady eyes and met the attack with her own just as she did against the lightning.

"Pure of Heart!" she announced, releasing another burst of golden light that tore through the dark shapes.

"That was LadyDevimon's attack," pointed out HiAndromon. "The Apocalymon on the show didn't use that attack against the Digidestined. This is bad."

Perhaps responding to the android's words and wishing to confirm them, the planetoid-sized digimon slammed another claw directly in front of the motorcycle-riding mega. Only a last second adjustment of direction prevented HiAndromon from gaining a far flatter appearance. Reacting quickly, the android opened fire on the limb that just tried to kill him.

"Ion Cannon!"

Launching himself at the ground-level target, Justimon slashed swiftly and shouted, "Razor's Edge!"

Snarling in annoyance, Apocalymon ripped his claw away, transforming it into a large wooden X-shape. He hurled it through the air like a killer boomerang.

"Flying Cross-cutter!"

"Not again," complained Kazu's voice as the motorcycle reversed direction and raced out of the way.

Cherubimon, whipping her lavender ribbons around her in a way that quickly shifted from graceful to deadly, focused carefully on the flying, spinning object. The streamers of flowing fabric in her hands began to crackle with purple electricity along their lengths. When they were completely charged, she smiled.

"Lightning Lash!" called the angelic rabbit.

One of her streamers snaked out and caught the flying object. She yanked it down, burying the wooden shape into the ground. The other ribbon lashed out and struck the closest limb of Apocalymon, cracking loudly like a whip or thunder.

Moving agilely, Cherubimon brought her first ribbon, still crackling with electrical power, towards the same clawed-limb of her opponent. This time, it wrapped around and she pulled the limb down. Justimon, seeing the opportunity she'd just created, jumped onto the twisted limb and began to sprint up the length as she held it still.

"Get him, Wyo," encouraged Suzie from within her pink bubble.

"Ion Cannon!" HiAndromon shouted, firing at the other limbs that Apocalymon was attempting to use to dislodge the running cyborg.

"This is growing annoying," growled Apocalymon.

Ripping free of the ribbon binding his limb in place, he jerked hard enough to dislodge Justimon. The Biomerged mega managed to activate his miniature wings long enough to remain in the air and close to the DNA-like limb.

Throwing the heel of his foot into the long, twisted limb, Justimon announced, "Seismic Kick!"

The force of the impact actually knocked the limb away and resulted in another aerial back-flip. Justimon didn't have time to reactivate his short-term flight capabilities before the angelic rabbit caught him with her slimmer, but still large enough, hand.

"Typhoon Geyser!" a new, dual-voiced entity shouted, resulting in a large and forceful stream of water slamming into another of the planetoid-sized creature's limbs.

"Wow," Kazu's voice commented as they quickly glanced in the direction of the attack. "Go Kenta."

The general shape of the mega matched that of the sea monster, Plesiomon, that Kenta and his partner once turned into, but there was still plenty different. The white creature with the blue markings now sported armor from his head down his spine that hid the lines and the sections of red hair on his back. The dark blue, segmented metal plates reminded her of the style that a knight's horse would wear; it didn't inhibit the legs (or rather, flippers) or cover the stomach, but it offered some protection. Since it only covered the top of his head, she could still see his bluish-grey eyes and he could open his mouth easily. On the strip of metal on his forehead was a weird symbol consisting of two curved lines and a triangle. Somehow, a large sea monster had managed to become even more impressive looking.

"It doesn't matter how many of you try to face me," declared Apocalymon. "I know for a fact that only one of you stands a chance of stopping me. After I kill her, there won't be a force in either world that could stand in my way."

"Did he say 'her'?" asked HiAndromon, the bike turning to race towards the angelic bunny. "As in… No, he is not killing Cherubimon."

"Aren't I?" chuckled the planetoid-sized digimon. "She's a threat. She dies." Another limb shot out towards her. "Evil Wing!"

"Neptune's Blessing!" retaliated Plesiomon, creating a vast wave of water that swiftly swirled around her like an aquatic wall or bubble that blocked the cloud of bats.

"No one," Justimon stated firmly, "touches Suzie."

Inside her mental bubble, the little girl smiled a little. Even if the big, scary Apocalymon wanted to hurt her, she wasn't very scared. She was a mega, the other tamers and their partners were also megas, and her substitute big brother was here. He even declared that he wouldn't let her get hurt. Ryo wasn't Henry, but he was close enough. With him, the other older kids, Lopmon, and her together, they would beat the giant digimon.

* * *

The small creature shivered in his partner's arms, his ears pulled as tight and small as possible as he tried to ignore his surroundings and the scary wrongness from earlier. He was especially trying to forget the bad, _bad_, **bad** thing that made the red spinning triangle screech. The digivolution that was just completely wrong and made his head hurt. Even the right kind of digivolution by his friends and the warm glow that the spinning triangle produced in response wasn't enough to erase the memory or to undo the scariness. He could usually bounce back from scary situations, especially if a yummy creampuff was offered to distract him after it was all over. But the utter _badness_ and the fact that the source of the wrongness was right above him, Calumon couldn't help shivering and even whimpering in the relative safety of Yamaki's arms.

The blond adult didn't say anything, but the fact he kept the frightened in-training digimon in his arms was enough for the moment. Even if he wasn't saying any type of comforting words to Calumon, the little digimon felt mildly safer while the generally slightly more aloof human was present. Riley, Tally, Jeri, Takato, and even Rika were generally more likely to hold him protectively. Tally loved hugging him like a stuffed animal and feeding him snacks and Riley would always compliment his drawings and feed him muffins. And almost all the tamers and digimon would play with him at least occasionally. Jeri was especially nice to him. They also made him feel safe when big meanies were around. They came and found him when the bad monkey took him after all.

But the serious Yamaki, who never did anything really fun unless both Riley and Calumon begged him, felt so dependable and safe right now. The blond adult with his dark glasses was familiar and the small white creature knew he would fix things. The man wasn't playful or lots of fun usually, but he _was_ steady and constant. His boring job and unchanging life meant everything was always right around him. Something this bad, this _**wrong**_, couldn't be around Yamaki since he made everything right, neat, dependable, and unexciting. If he stayed close to the adult tamer, eventually the bad, bad_, bad_, **bad,** badness would leave him alone and maybe even go away.

Cautiously, the shivering in-training digimon opened his eyes a crack. He didn't dare look at his friends since they were close to the source of _wrongness_. He didn't want to see the scary thing that digivolved _wrong_, making the spinning triangle screech so painfully. He looked instead towards the face of Yamaki. Even with his eyes hidden by the sunglasses, the man looked frustrated. Not the normal frustrated like when Calumon had eaten lots of yummy candy and ended up running all over the room at Hypnos, but a really angry frustrated. And since the white digimon hadn't eaten that much sweet stuff since and the adult was staring towards the sky, he knew Yamaki wasn't upset about him. It was about the** bad** wrongness. That meant he'd fix it anytime now and make it right again.

He closed his eyes again and tried to ignore everything by imagining all the creampuffs he'd eat once they were home again.

* * *

Besides the one riding it, there were now three allied digimon helping to face the extremely powerful Apocalymon. And regardless of how strong they might be together, Behemoth held serious doubts of the likelihood of success. Not only was the size of the creature impressive, but he was also very high off the ground. The group of Biomerged digimon was so far just able to strike the long limbs of the mega and hadn't managed to really strike the large central shape, let alone the humanoid portion on top. In addition, it could feel the power of all the digimon and the huge one directly overhead was radiating it like a forest fire. He wouldn't be going down easily at all.

When the giant digimon announced the angelic rabbit was the only threat, the other megas had immediately gone into protective mode of her. Granted, after witnessing the little girl's suicidal dash earlier, the motorcycle could see why she might need that extra level of guarding in case she tried some other crazy stunt worthy of Kazu's insanity. But the demonic bike wondered, while racing all across the damaged and now wet landscape, how she was supposed to be a threat to the monstrous form overhead. She might be an angelic digimon and those generally tended to be more powerful than normal (especially against anything dark or evil), but she still didn't seem dangerous enough.

One of the odd, twisted limbs on the planetoid-sized creature morphed into a long staff with a yellow orb clutch by a red claw on the end. This time, he aimed for the armored aquatic digimon.

"Bone Blaster!"

"Typhoon Geyser!" retaliated his target, blasting water at the light attack and creating an explosion of steam as a result.

"And that's SkullSatamon," murmured Kazu's voice. "Who else's attacks does he have?"

The demonic bike, lacking any shoulders to shrug, decided not to respond. Instead, it focused on avoiding a rather deep crater without dislodging its passenger or moving behind the few remaining wall fragments which would block HiAndromon's aim. Stuck on the ground without any ability to get close to his target, the android was just peppering the creature's limbs with blasts as best he could. Unfortunately, no amount of speed or maneuverability could make up for the fact that Behemoth couldn't get HiAndromon close enough because they couldn't fly.

"Ion Cannon!" shouted the coppery-metal being, managing to partially hit one of the DNA-like limbs.

As much as it hated to admit it, Behemoth did not believe they would win. Unless Cherubimon had some unexpected ability or powerful attack she hadn't unveiled yet, Apocalymon would eventually kill them. Of course, it could always possess HiAndromon properly and simply drive away. It could race away from the battle and maybe even find Beelzemon. The idea was so easy and Apocalymon probably wouldn't even care enough to try pursuing. It really didn't want to suffer another unpleasant defeat like the last one.

But, unfortunately, its new-found loyalty to individuals _other_ than just its master and the uncomfortable morality that came with that concept wouldn't let the motorcycle go through with it. It _had_ to stay and help, even if it was likely a lost cause. Perhaps Kazu's insanity was contagious and it had gone mad from listening to him all day. Regardless, the demonic bike was staying. Revving its engine in a rather aggravated and resigned growl, Behemoth concentrated on increasing its speed further.

If this was to be its final fight, it would make it worth remembering. It would be so fast, so agile, so destructive, and so impressive, the stories of the vehicle's last stand would make the tales of its past exploits of terror and chaos pale in comparison. The name Behemoth would become even more legendary than before.

And it would have fun before it was over.

Waiting for Apocalymon to try another attempt to crush Justimon with his clawed-limb, the bike exploded forward with a new burst of speed as soon as the taloned-limb smashed to the ground. Hoping its tires could find enough traction for the insane, Kazu-styled plan to work, Behemoth _drove_ _up_ the extremely steep surface of the DNA-like limb of the planetoid-sized creature. The actual claw might have been overly-large, but the twisted length that ran upwards was not relatively very thick. Its tires managed to travel up the colorful connectors between the double helix like a freaky ladder. The limb was only a few degrees short of a perfect ninety degrees and it was only able to make the insane stunt work due to the extreme speed and luck. Behemoth knew it wouldn't be able to escape gravity long like this, especially once the momentary shock wore off and Apocalymon moved again. It had no chance of keeping the trick up, but it already had climbed several feet with this method and was still managing.

HiAndromon, equally shocked initially by the bike's actions, managed to adapt to the situation faster than Apocalymon. Laughing excitedly, he transformed his hand into the glowing blade and leaned over. The act made balancing on the very problematic terrain even more difficult, but the wobbliness of its ascension was rather unimportant. At the moment the planetoid-sized digimon tried to jerk away, HiAndromon made his move.

"Laser Sword!" he cried, slicing through the connectors between the twin twisting strands of the limb.

The act resulting in a true snarl of pain from Apocalymon as he jerked away, removing the surface Behemoth was driving on and ending the already unsteady climb by tossing the bike and mega through the air. Rather than leave the motorcycle helpless and tumbling away, HiAndromon maintained a tight grip on the handlebars and stayed on the bike. In return, it did its best to land upright and not roll on top of the mega in a rougher landing. Thus, they could almost instantly hit the ground running, if slightly unsteadily due to the shock of impact on its poor tires. This quick movement out of the way was necessary since Apocalymon chose to retaliate against them.

"Crimson Lightning!"

"Neptune's Blessing!" answered the aquatic mega, sending a wave swiftly between the fleeing pair and the red bolts of electricity.

"That was beyond awesome," cackled Kazu's voice gleefully. "I can't believe we did that. Let's do it again."

"Let's not be hasty," sputtered Guardromon's voice uneasily. He sounded a little shook up by the stunt. Maybe it overloaded his logic circuits or something, though it would have thought Kazu would have done that a long time ago. Either way, the motorcycle was agreeing with the digimon half of the Biomerged entity; it was not trying that again immediately. At least until its tires stopped aching from that landing. "He will not fall for it again and it cannot be easy for Behemoth to achieve such an act. Not to mention the recklessness the bike demonstrated trying in the first place, regardless of how 'awesome.' Perhaps we could remain on the ground for a time? At least until we consider a more reliable option?"

"You've been talking with my inner Rika, haven't you?" the boy's voice muttered. Louder, he remarked, "Fine, we'll go the 'saner' way." He transformed his hand back into a cannon. "Ion Cannon!"

**Was I just channeling a little "Ghost Rider" with that improbable driving? Yes, I think I was. And it was fun. Behemoth might not be able to drive straight up buildings or across water, leaving a trail of flaming tire marks behind, but it is still a sentient motorcycle with a talent for chaos and destruction. And it is so fun to write as that bike, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. And Kazu had a good time. So, everyone wins.**

**And yes, the wonderful speech I mentioned earlier? Spoken by MarineAngemon. I thought it was a funny idea at the time. No one but Kenta (and me) will ever know what the little pink mega said. But you can probably guess the gist of it.**

**I've revealed the appearances and attacks of three digimon with this one and I activated Kenta's crest. The battle continues, however. In this universe and the other.**

**I always appreciate reviews. They make me happy and motivate me to write faster. Thanks.**


	59. Belief

**Once more, I am deeply, deeply, **_**deeply**_** sorry about the wait. But I have a very good excuse this time. I had to study for testing. Lots of tests. It took up a huge chunk of my time and I didn't want to rush this chapter anyway. Ragnamon has Gallantmon in his grip, like King Kong about to climb the Empire State building. Only things are going to go a little differently than that movie (starting with the fact that Ragnamon is too large to climb any building anyway…). In fact, things are going downhill very quickly at the moment for our Royal Knight. The same events will be covered by several angles (covering very short time periods each time… like a matter of seconds in most cases), so I hope it won't be too confusing.**

* * *

_He glared at the armored mega in his claw. Ragnamon was tired of the annoying small creatures flitting around like insects. Besides the single fatality earlier, he hadn't managed to destroy any of them properly. They refused to remain still, trying to harm him with their weak attacks. As long as he had his blue-cloud Guardian program, they couldn't succeed. Still, Ragnamon wanted destruction now._

_Grabbing the crimson knight surprised both of the winged creatures that had been flying above him. They had flown far higher than the others, but not quite high enough. The green-eyed one responded with an inarticulate shout at the giant digimon rearing up on his hind legs. Ragnamon, as much pleasure as it could gain by destroying the entity in his claws and his companion, had bigger ideas._

"_Catastrophic Meltdown!" he snarled, blasting the plasma-like beam down towards the other gathered digimon. He continued to rapidly fire away at them, trying to cover a large area this time instead of hitting a specific target. "Catastrophic Meltdown! Catastrophic Meltdown!"_

_His drones, Kuramon and Tsumemon, observed Willis' expressions as the deadly blasts demolished the area around the megas and ultimates. And, because they could see the look of horror, Ragnamon could see the boy as well. Why wasn't he happy? Couldn't Willis see that his partner could provide the greatest destruction ever?_

_Vaguely, the gigantic beast noticed the grey-winged mega trying to free the crimson knight. He was yanking at the talons, trying to pull his companion out of the tight grip while muttering something about "Big Blue." Ragnamon decided that enough was enough._

_Pausing momentarily in his efforts to pepper the area in plasma-like beams, he glanced at the multi-winged mega in his claw. He increased the strength of his grip, producing a dual-voiced scream of pain and a quick explosion of data as the shape collapsed under pressure. Whatever small fragments of the creature left, he tossed them aside. Even if there was still a shred of life in his little handful, it wouldn't survive much longer. With a slight feeling of satisfaction about destroying the crimson knight, he whacked the green-eyed mega and returned to firing down at the other creatures._

* * *

"Stupid Big Blue," Fatemon muttered, pulling at the giant claws while the enormous creature was distracted by trying to kill the rest of their friends (a less than helpful thought at the moment). "Let go of Pineapple-head now."

"Hurry up," urged Gallantmon. The knight's arms were pinned at his side, but that didn't stop the Biomerged mega from struggling to get free. So far, neither of them was making any progress. "This isn't very comfortable and makes me feel like one of Suzie's dolls."

"Working on it. Just wish that Big Blue wasn't so… huge," Impmon's voice growled.

His efforts were distracted as the greenish-yellow eyes turned back towards them, stopping his previous attacks. The grey-winged mega felt a shiver of dread as the insane gaze focused on the trapped Gallantmon.

With his hands holding the giant talon, he felt Ragnamon swiftly and mercilessly tighten his grip of the crimson knight. He heard both Takato and Guilmon scream in agony at the pressure, Fatemon's attempts to relieve it as useless as before. And, because he was so close to his friend, when Gallantmon Crimson Mode shattered, he could see it far too clearly. For a split second, he thought he could see the limp shapes of the boy and rookie that made up the Biomerged mega, but Ragnamon's taloned limb ripped sharply away from him. The large creature hurled the dispersing cloud of data and the pair of beings Fatemon _hoped_ were okay through the air.

"No, no, no, _no_," he snarled, his wings beating as he tried to follow. All three entities that formed the mega refused to accept what he was seeing: their friends tumbling through the air towards the deadly blue mist below. If the fog didn't kill them, the fall itself would be fatal. The twins were terrified, but their partner was being distracted. Impmon was experiencing a discomforting sense of déjà vu, but he supposed to be falling while the knight tried to save him. It was the D-reaper all over again and he barely survived it. And now Guilmon and Takato could… "Not going to happen."

As fast as he flew, he was still within range of Ragnamon when he swung his clawed limb and slammed it against Fatemon. The winged was sent painfully tumbling by the impact, struggling to regain control of chaotic plummeting before he crashed. But even as he managed to prevent his own crash and begin flying properly again, he knew it was too late. He wouldn't be able to reach his friends in time.

No…

* * *

The group of Digidestined, hidden and protected in her bubble, was still fairly far away from the unbelievable larger creature that had risen from the blue fog. The others, the team of children chose long ago to be defenders of two worlds and the veterans of countless battles, still gasped in shock when he first rose into sight. The sight of large creatures destroying their city, their _home_, was one you never really get used to. Even with the knowledge that they were shielded, hidden, and guarded by JewelBeemon and Magnamon, the distant digimon that announced the name of Ragnamon as his identity unnerved them. The size was just impossible to accept. Kari and T.K. could, sometimes, make out the figures of their partners flitting around him like insects at this distance, their size in comparison making Ragnamon seem even larger.

Destiny was less focused or shocked by the creature. Her mind was busy chasing the memories of her past. She knew she was close to regaining her partner, if she could simply find the right memory. A single point in her past, a key event, was the one thing she needed to recall. She was so close now, though it didn't feel like it, and even the presence of a giant blue-shelled digimon re-enacting Godzilla in the middle of downtown wasn't going to distract her. She'd seen stranger things before, at a far closer distance.

**Surrounded by deadly pink goo, the only reason they could even remain here was due to the shield her crystalline D-arc. One step outside and the hostile environment would destroy them. They were here to observe, to ensure events progressed according to the prophecy. And, in this case, it meant waiting for a death.**

**High above her and Fate, humans and digimon fought together against a deadly foe. A dangerous, chaotic program evolved into an entity that was almost a force of nature, changing into shapes that looked like the product of nightmares. At the heart of this, in the middle of this killing goo and cable-attached drones, was a heart-broken girl. The lonely child, trapped in sorrow and pain to power the abomination, deserved better. She had lost so much already. Still, there were those who would not rest until she was safe. Her friends were up there, fighting all around the impenetrable orb the brown-haired girl lay within. And a former enemy…**

**Nearly directly above Destiny and Fate's hidden shield, a dark shape pounded relentlessly. Each impact was fueled by guilt and an unshakable desire to make things right. He knew his crimes, understood the pain he'd caused, but wanted to undo the harm. The former murderous monster that only cared for power, a gluttonous beast that devoured data and sowed fear among those who he encountered, now only cared about fixing the damage of his actions. The digimon intended to rescue the trapped child, the one he'd wronged the most and still chose mercy instead of revenge, or he would die in the attempt.**

"**'Two individuals, one inside and one outside. One, who carries the weight of the deaths of innocents from his actions, will try to rescue the one who deserved life far more than he. But the Chaos brings about the greatest pain and punishment to those who seek to do what is right. And another digimon partner shall be lost,'" recited Fate, his sea green eyes locked on the desperate being above them. "I know we've seen plenty of unfair events in the past, Dee, but still… he doesn't deserve that. He's trying to turn his life around, he just reunited with those little kids, and his reward for doing the right thing is to **_**die?"**_

"**It has to happen," she reminded, personally agreeing that it seemed wrong and yet there wasn't much choice. "Someone with a history of causing innocent deaths will die trying to save someone else. We don't have to like it."**

**Her partner tugged his hood up, concealing his expression from her, "I **_**don't**_**. Maybe it's because he so similar to me, but it feels wrong. We've allowed so many good beings to die because of prophecies. We're nothing but tools of murder and destruction. We might be balancing things, making the universes the way they should be, but honestly… that doesn't mean it's always right. Someone trying so hard to do the right thing, trying to redeem himself for past crimes, deserve better."**

**The prophetess turned her gaze upwards towards the exhausted dark figure that was still trying to break the imprisoning orb, still trying to save the girl, and quietly agreed with the rookie, "He deserves a second chance, but life is rarely fair. There is no other way. No one else fits the prophecy."**

"**Maybe…" he whispered.**

The memory, one that she_ knew_ was vitally important, was interrupted as gasps of surprise from the Digidestined beside her drew her attention back to Ragnamon. The giant creature had risen up higher, standing up on his hind legs. He was blasting away at those below. In one of his clawed limbs, he was holding something. A figure, too distant to identify properly, was near the fist. When the huge entity tossed whatever he had away from him, the unknown creature tried to dive after it. The blue-shelled digimon backhanded the smaller one, knocking the unrecognizable being away.

This entire sequence gave her a sense of déjà vu. She was too far away and she felt the players were mixed up and wrong, but she had seen this before. Or at least, something similar.

Abruptly, the answer hit Destiny. She finally understood exactly what she was supposed to remember and why this particular prophecy was so important to her own personal one: to remind her of what happened once before.

* * *

"Ouch…" muttered Rika, wincing slightly within the blue mental orb as Sakuyamon tried to straighten up. No one had been prepared for Ragnamon to stand up and start blasting the entire area. It had been unbelievably abrupt and the shaman mega had been grazed by one of the attacks before she could adapt to the creature's new strategy, knocked to the ground with her own miniature crater. How badly the others were harmed or where they ended up being knocked by the assault was anyone's guess. All she knew was that the earlier explosions of destruction had suddenly paused. "Did he stop?"

Renamon's voice answered, "He seems to, but I don't know w…"

She stopped speaking as Sakuyamon turned her gaze skyward and saw Gallantmon in the giant mega's grip. The knight was the focus of Ragnamon's attention. As she watched, Fatemon tried to free the Biomerged mega and probably been trying for a while, but it wasn't enough. In a matter of seconds, she observed her friend go from merely trapped to… gone.

The explosion of data that erupted as his mega form shattered felt like a punch to Rika's stomach. Not another death, let alone two. The group already lost Ryo and his partner. They couldn't lose anyone else. It wasn't fair. Her mind raced through a loop of denial of what she had seen, her thoughts moving too fast to realize how little time had passed.

As Ragnamon carelessly tossed two small objects away, a glint of hope broke through the horror of personally observing what appeared to be Gallantmon's death. If those two were actually Takato and Guilmon, it might not be too late. She launched herself just as Fatemon dove after their friends. One of them would reach them in time; they had to succeed.

The universe disagreed with the red-haired tamer's determination and immediately attempted to prevent that goal. Ragnamon slapped away Fatemon, sending him falling out of the sky uncontrollably. At nearly the same instant, the creature opened his mouth again.

"Catastrophic Meltdown!"

Diving out of the path of orange-yellow beam, Sakuyamon managed to avoid injury. Unfortunately, she lost sight of the falling forms of a human boy and red reptile. She couldn't see them and she couldn't save them.

She couldn't save them.

* * *

He almost blacked out, the crushing pain almost too much to bear. Takato managed to keep awake, however, as he collapsed out of his mega form. He was left as an exhausted human in Ragnamon's grip, his partner thankfully equally alive beside him. He wasn't allowed any time to recover from the painful and shocking experience, though. Seconds after being crushed out of his previous shape, the giant digimon hurled him away.

The boy heard stories about seeing your whole life flashing before your eyes during a near death experience. He didn't see it. Instead, everything had slowed down except his thoughts. It was like falling in slow motion while the wind still raced by his face, tossing his hair and crest wildly and yanking his shirt roughly around.

He held tightly to Guilmon, who had grabbed on as they were thrown, and simply refused to accept this was the end. He didn't know how, but Takato truly believed they would find a way. Logically, he knew he was about to die. Grani wouldn't be swooping in to save the day this time. There was no hope.

But he refused to accept that. Takato, tired and sore, tumbling through the air like a ragdoll, and heading for the blue fog-covered streets at lethal speeds, still believed they would survive. He and Guilmon would find a way to get out of this. They would live and defeat Ragnamon. It was unthinkable for anything else to happen. They _had_ to succeed.

He met his partner's yellow eyes. The rookie obviously see how bad things, but neither of them had the strength to try digivolving into a shape that could fly. Guilmon, his wonderful partner who balanced cheerful naivety and intriguing insight, still looked at him trustingly. As long as the boy felt they could survive, the rookie would believe it was possible too.

"Everything will be all right," he whispered as he closed his eyes, actually meaning the words and not just saying them to comfort his partner. He truly and utterly felt that something would happen that would make it right. If he could create a digimon partner from a sketch, surely anything was possible? "Don't worry."

He didn't know if the reptile heard him. The wind was whipping by his head so quickly and there was that weird ringing in his head… Wait a minute. Ringing?

The tamer's eyes snapped open and he noticed a glow emerging from the crest chaotically whipping around his neck. Red lines had been spreading across the surface of the card, forming a triangle. Inside the shape, the line continued and formed a spiral. As this odd event occurred, the unexplained ringing shifted into words.

Belief. The ability to be convinced that something is true or possible, no matter how improbable or illogical it may seem. A powerful force that transforms the world and overcomes obstacles. It creates the indescribable and destroys the "impossible." Accepting that evidence is not always needed to keep faith in a concept and that facts against can be ignored if the conviction is strong enough.

It does not need logic to support or reason to exist. With enough faith, anything is a possibility and everything is achievable. No matter if it is an idea, a hope, or a dream: if the will is strong enough and the desire true enough, they can become a reality.

There are times where that belief will be tested and strained to the limits. Common sense, logic, dire circumstances, or even your own allies may argue against possibilities, but if you manage to keep the faith through it all, the world can be transformed by that power. Nearly anything that exists or has occurred only became reality because someone refused to give up on what they think could be possible.

Belief.

The tamer, the Goggle-head, the Dreamer, the boy who refused to accept what he knew wasn't right grabbed the crest that jerked in the whipping wind with his free hand. He felt energized, empowered by the card-like object's activation. A chance to live, to fight again, and to win was here. The way to succeed, the one he believed so strongly to exist, was in his grip.

His mind had finally realized how far he'd fallen, however. The blue mist, and thus the ground, was rushing up to meet them. He was out of time. If he didn't act this second, they would splatter across the street.

Letting go of Guilmon, he grabbed his D-arc. Takato slid the crest through the device just as they fell into the cloud line of the Guardian program.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Belief Activate!"

* * *

The group of humans panicked slightly at Ragnamon standing upright and beginning to blast large sections of the ground below, but none of the orange-yellow blasts struck near them. Willis understood exactly why. The Kuramon and Tsumemon that were staring at the American intently until Minervamon stabbed them demonstrated why. The monster was trying to impress him. He wanted to make the boy see his every move as he slaughtered everyone.

Willis saw something get thrown away by Ragnamon during a brief pause in the creature's assault. A large black figure, one of the strange digimon who had been fighting the boy's mistake for a while, tried to follow after the discarded object. A quick backhand and Ragnamon returned to blast away at large sections of the city.

"Okay, we could really use a better plan than sheer force now," remarked Kyo. "Because he has more force than any of us. Does it have a weak point or something?"

"No, it appears not," answered Izzy. "Judging by the strange coloration and the fact the copies are unharmed by the mist, he likely incorporated the Guardian program into his data. Perhaps he is even drawing power from the blue fog. As long as Ragnamon is in contact with the mist, he might not be able to be stopped. No matter what we throw at him, he'll likely shrug it off."

"So we need something new to win," summarized Matt.

As the words left his mouth, something shot into the sky farther away. Coming from the direction that Ragnamon had thrown something.

**So, not as long as some of my chapters lately, but I didn't want to make you wait much longer. Once more, I apologize for the extreme delay. I just had too many tests lately and very little creativity time. The next one should hopefully be longer.**

**Reviews are deeply appreciated. They make me happy. Thanks.**


	60. The Turning Tide

**Why does it always seem like summer time slows down my updates? That doesn't seem fair, but it is the truth. I tried to provide this chapter as swiftly as possible, but I hope that did not result in a drop in quality.**

**And, in case you were wondering, I was mildly inspired by the legend of King Arthur and Excalibur (of which there are about a million variations of the story anyway), so our Royal Knight is looking a little more "royal" in his new look. In fact, I drew heavily on details of the physical description of Excalibur (but not every single detail) since I think our Goggle-head deserves it. Enjoy.**

It was so strange. As he hit the blue fog, the Guardian program began trying to sap away his strength. It tried to pull out every shred of power in his body. But, as the draining tried to kill him, a new strength rushed through him and overwhelmed the tiredness that the mist caused. He was growing weaker and more powerful in the same instant. It was a very unusual sensation. Still, the weirdness didn't last long. The power kept increasing as his weak and tired human body combined with his best friend. He shouldn't have the energy to Biomerge, but the crest was making all the difference. He wasn't just reaching his mega form or even his more impressive Crimson mode. It was something new and very powerful.

"Guilmon Crest Biomerge to…"

Feathered wings, a shining silver shade that almost made them appear metallic, launched the falling knight back into the sky. His armor, once white and later red, now shone like gold. The crimson hue wasn't completely absent; the individual plates of metal were edged by red trim, resulting in a reversal of their coloration in Crimson mode. Instead of the mark of the Hazard that graced his chest in his regular mega form, the triangular shape of the Crest of Belief was etched in red. No shield, no lance, and no spear rested in his hands. Instead, he held a sword. One with a thicker blade than the one he wielded in his Crimson mode. The hilt was golden with several small glimmering gems embedded, allowing flashes of red, blue, green, and white as the light struck them. The hilt itself was also shaped like twin dragons with piercing eyes. The length of the blade held dark lines that wrote out lines of Digi-code that the fan-boy tamer recognized as saying "one edge to defend" on one side and "one edge to defeat". Above his eyes was the strange circlet that resembled Guilmon, the one he wore in his normal mega form. Now, it was perched further up his head so that it seemed slightly more like a crown.

"…Gallantmon Belief Mode!"

A relieved laughter caught his attention as a grey-winged figure shouted towards the Biomerged knight, "Cutting it a little close, Pineapple-head. Don't do that again."

No longer in immediate danger of dying, the tamer's voice managed an uneasy joke, "Missed us already?"

"No," answered Fatemon, equally unserious. "I just don't want to explain to Jeri why her goggle-headed boyfriend ended up splattered across the ground."

Even within his mental orb, Takato blushed at the suggestion, "She's not my…"

"Catastrophic Meltdown!" shouted Ragnamon, forcing Gallantmon to dodge the attack and the other viral mega to alter his course towards his friend. "You should be destroyed."

"Not yet," the Biomerged knight replied. "Royal Claymore!"

The dark lines of writing along the sword glowed a deep red as he swung the blade through the air. The slicing movement left a crimson arc behind that quickly covered the distance to his target and struck Ragnamon's face.

"Trident Gaia!" announced the dual-voices of VictoryGreymon, launching himself upwards after the earlier bombardment. The impressive amount of energy gathered by the split-bladed sword surprised the upright-standing giant enough that Ragnamon took a step back. With confidence that only Takato's hero at his best could demonstrate, which left the fan-boy tamer grinning broadly, Tai's voice rang out clearly across the battlefield as he declared, "We aren't finished yet. We don't go down easily."

"Don't you?" Ragnamon hissed, his unsettling gaze passed over those struggling to recover from his previous attacks. Sakuyamon looked almost battle-ready and MetalGarurumon was shaking it off, but most of the others closest to the strike zone were still trying to gain their second wind. A couple digimon even seemed to be absent; though Takato hoped they had only dedigivolved instead of a more permanent loss. "I disagree. You've interfered once too often and your destruction is imminent. Your time in this life is over. Catastrophic Meltdown!"

"Victory Charge!" retaliated the orange reptile, twisting his sword and reflecting back the plasma-like attack. "Then I guess we're going into 'sudden-death overtime'."

* * *

Her first thought was that, by some miracle, they were alive. Somehow, that goofy, annoying, naïve, optimistic, overly helpful, frustratingly-nice pair of wonderful friends weren't dead. Instead, they were bright gold and apparently unharmed. Both of them were fine. The only thing worse than if they both ended up dead would be if only one had died. Takato would be destroyed without the playful dinosaur and it would be unimaginable to have Guilmon without his tamer. But they were both alive.

Her second thought was that she was going to _murder_ both that Goggle-head and his childish partner. How dare they scare her like that? They were not allowed to act like they were about to die, to convince her that there was nothing to prevent that fate, and make her feel so… helpless. No one was allowed to make her feel like that and…

She shouldn't have to see someone she cared about almost…

They had come so close to…

She was going to _**kill **_them.

Rika's plans for murdering that stupid Goggle-head and rookie for almost dying, regardless of how twisted that logic may seem, would have to be put on hold until the giant monster looming overhead was crushed into tiny particles. Ragnamon would not know what hit him.

"Ow… Someone see what hit me?" moaned Terriermon's voice from somewhere.

Shifting her thoughts from vengeful violence to concern, Sakuyamon zeroed in on the sound. Right before Ragnamon stood up and blasted the area to pieces, she remembered the green mega being near a newly-arrived Lillymon that had tried to fire a few shots at their enemy. How well the smaller MegaGargomon weathered the attack, let alone the ultimate, was anyone's guess. She could only hope for the best and quietly pray that the still airborne figures would keep Ragnamon too distracted to attempt firing again at such a large scale.

Her sharp sight picked them out of the rubble. A rather battered floral fairy, an unhappy rabbit, and a dust-covered tamer were wedged between broken slabs of concrete. Terriermon was rubbing his head while Lillymon helped the dark-haired boy up. The shaman mega landed beside the group, producing a couple yelps of surprise from them.

"Is everyone all right?" she asked, giving them a quick look over.

The ultimate gave her a weak smile, "Your friend tried to block some of the blasts from hitting me. You'll have to tell me someday why I ended up with two heroes protecting me when he started as one."

"We're fine, Sakuyamon," Henry confirmed before coughing from the dust covering his body, giving him a grey tinge. "Just pounded. Everyone else?"

"Gallantmon and Fatemon are still airborne," described Renamon's voice swiftly before Rika could explain her intentions to murder their nearly-killed friends. "As is VictoryGreymon. We don't know about anyone else."

Tucking Terriermon under one arm and Henry under the other, Lillymon reassured, "I'll take them back to where the other humans are. The ground forces are essentially useless now, so I'll be back after I check on Mimi. You'll need all the help you can get after that attack."

With that statement, the fairy took flight. Her friends out of harm's way, Sakuyamon shot skywards once more to rejoin the fight.

"Elemental Kitsune!" she shouted, the quartet of summoned foxes racing forward.

"Wing Blade!" a new voice announced, bird-shaped flames joining her element-based creatures in the assault.

Before she could turn to identify the new arrival, Sakuyamon heard VictoryGreymon shout in surprise, "Garudamon! Sora! You came."

"Blast Rings!" another voice added, ring-like rays firing towards the giant.

Above the sounds of impact, Rika could swear she heard an enraged female asking, "Is it _too_ much to ask to be called during an emergency? I was on a trip with my whole family. I was _dying_ for an excuse to get away."

The tamer wondered if the Digidestined would ever run out of back-up.

* * *

First Sora and Garudamon show up. And now Yolei and Aquilamon had flow in. The first time they fought Diaboromon, it was all he could manage to get a couple of his friends to help. This time, people from an alternate reality, unpartnered digimon, and all the scattered Digidestined were appearing. If this didn't make the virus stay down, nothing would.

The only problem was that Ragnamon _still_ refused to take damage. No matter how much power he threw at the giant, the creature wasn't harmed. He may flinch from impact or hiss in annoyance, but it was in no worse shape than it started in. And he was focused on killing either VictoryGreymon or Gallantmon immediately. The first because Tai and Agumon had apparently been a pain in the neck for too long and the second because he should have been destroyed already. The Digidestined of Courage didn't know whether to be flattered or concerned with the attention, but it did mean Ragnamon wasn't blasting the digimon still recovering from before.

"Catastrophic Meltdown!" snarled the giant virus.

"Victory Charge!" the Biomerged mega responded, taking advance of his ability to reflect attacks back using his sword.

Fatemon, using the opportunity provided by the reptilian mega distracting the beast, added his own assault, "Chaos Destruction!"

Continuing the trend started by the viral mega and the Biomerged form of Agumon and Tai, MetalGarurumon leapt up from his location among the rubble and shouted, "Ice Wolf Claw!"

Each impact of the freezing missiles was aimed to hit the same location on the giant blue-shelled creature's chest, trying to force him back and possibly break through the digimon's defense. The first goal was succeeding mildly; Ragnamon took another step backwards due to the sheer force behind the strikes. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing seemed to harm the enormous beast. The best they ever seemed to manage was to annoy and anger him.

No one, however, was ready to admit defeat. Especially the females of the group.

"Wing Blast!" announced the humanoid avian, the Digidestined of Love clinging tightly to her partner.

"Blast Rings!" added the horned-eagle champion, the energetic bespectacled girl on his back throwing her fist into the air.

"Ring of Truth!" Sakuyamon shouted, sending the flaming-circle alongside the others' attacks.

Opening his fanged-mouth, Ragnamon shrugged off their attempts and growled, "Catastrophic…"

"Absolute Faith!" interrupted Gallantmon, his armor beginning to emit a golden light.

Glowing brightly, the figure charged forward. By the time the mega reached Ragnamon, he seemed more like light made solid than anything else. The impact itself was fairly impressive as well; the nearly-blinding golden glow engulfing Gallantmon exploded outwards. And, surprisingly, the giant creature took two steps backwards.

"Trident Gaia!" VictoryGreymon yelled, using his own powerful attack. "Keep it up. Don't give him a chance to retaliate."

"Tai?" asked Sora, confused by the double set of voices.

"Later," responded her long-time friend from within his orange orb. "I'll explain later."

* * *

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, manipulating and altering familiar lines of code. She'd been playing with computers for a large portion of her life and knew all of the tricks to make technology obey her. It wasn't a matter of ego or pride; she knew that it was a fact that she was a talented programmer. Tammy Mizutani knew this code better than anyone else. She wrote it originally, or thought she did before she found out how she was used, and thus could predict where to look for the hidden traps that turned Guardian from a defensive tool she hoped to use for protection against a dangerous threat into a weapon turned against the city, the innocent citizens, and… her fellow digidestined.

She couldn't let herself focus on her turbulent mind, the mixture of long-repressed memories returned and the thoughts and ideas maintained for years clashed against each other and tried to escape from the fragile shell she'd created to handle the opposing mindsets. She couldn't focus on it because she wouldn't be able to finish this. Computers all over were spewing her creation, the treasured Guardian program that became her shame, and she would stop it. Even if it meant suppressing her emotions for a time, something her therapist would have frowned upon. Not that she intended to ever follow that idiot's advice again.

Another thing she couldn't allow to distract her was the sounds of battle behind her. Darcmon, her partner and the biggest thing that had been missing in her life, was tearing through the low-leveled digimon and keeping the fog at bay. Each time she called an attack, Tammy had to resist the urge to smile at the sound of her voice. Even if she couldn't truly recall her partner's existence this morning, she never felt more complete. She never felt more right than with the winged humanoid swinging her twin swords somewhere behind her.

Locating the short lines of code, scattered throughout the program so she would not spot them unless she was looking for them, she mentally cursed Diaboromon for his cruel and sophisticated programming. It was a work of art, a masterpiece of coding that managed to camouflage itself among the rest and a perfect example of subtlety. Of course, these same lines were being revised to fulfill a new purpose. Her programming, admittedly, was not quite as elegant, but she'd like to think hers was also brilliant. She was reclaiming Guardian as she originally intended it; a tool to protect the innocent. Now, though, the innocent included humans and digimon both. With each keystroke, she was coming closer to changing the blue mist spewing from the computer screens within the building into something new and helpful.

"They're slowing down," called Darcmon. "There are fewer of them now."

"Good. I'm almost done," she responded, trying to type faster. She was so close to being complete. The constant tapping of keys filled her ears; an easier sound to focus on than the sporadic screams of the destroyed jellyfish digimon and mildly reassuring in its normality. It was a sound she'd heard so often for such a long time, a familiar one. She was doing her job, programming, and fulfilling her mission, to protect the world. "Just a few more minutes."

She read and reread the lines of code, unwilling to allow even a single trap or trick of Diaboromon's to remain behind. Once she activated the revised version of her program, she might not have a chance to try again. It would have to be perfect. A single mistake could keep her from success and might even make things worse. She wouldn't allow such a clumsy error, however. Just as he turned her creation into his own weapon to harm others and give him strength, she would turn it back into her own tool to protect others and weaken him.

She would repair the damage her creation had caused when it fell into the hands of a real monster. But she couldn't forget that her original intention for the program would have cause harm as well. It might have been intended as a weapon to protect, but it was still a weapon. She would have to take responsibility for that fact. _Any_ weapon could be turned against its creator and used in ways never intended. And she would take care of that and weed out any remaining trace of Diaboromon's corruption with a single act.

With a final keystroke, she whispered, "Initiate Guardian program: Version Omega."

* * *

The Digidestined of Reliability was trying to convince himself that things couldn't get much worse, so they would have to start improving any second now. After all, once things hit rock bottom, the only direction left was up. And it was almost certainly rock bottom.

First the rumbling and shaking started shortly after the arrival of Sora and Garudamon and they moved away from the water edge. Then, some monstrously huge digimon had risen up against the skyline like a terrifying nightmare. Not that his own partner, Zudomon, wasn't large, but the blue-shelled beast that loomed in the distance was overwhelming. Only the fact that the creepy creature was still far away was a comfort. The digimon, Ragnamon if the name he bellowed was to be believed, was battling something apparently, but it was taking time for Joe and Sora's partners to plow through the blue fog so they could reach him. They were still facing some of the smaller viral digimon, even if they were fewer now, so there was at least a distraction from him. But when the giant monster stood up, somehow managing to look _even bigger and scarier, _and blasted away at who-know-what. The look of absolute worry for their friends on Sora's face convinced the bespectacled young man to urge her and Garudamon to fly ahead. Even if Zudomon was stuck traveling slowly by land, there was no reason the flying ultimate and girl couldn't see if they could help out.

Now, he was alone again with Zudomon while surrounded by the deadly mist and aggressive digimon. The huge blue-shelled entity was still present and attacking flitting figures. And mostly, Joe was wondering if there was any way for the situation to become bleaker.

A series of frantic shriek abruptly erupted from all the visible Kuramon and Chrysalimon, even those not even close to the hammer-swinging ultimate. The bespectacled Digidestined clamped his hands over his ears against the noise, the sounds emerging from within the blue fogbank as well. Apparently, all the creepy digimon were making the shrill sounds, even those not yet visible to the pair. The college-age youth didn't know if the noise was a sign of some new horror about to be unleashed or that there was a glimmer of hope finally.

"What's going wrong now?" Joe asked, not certain who he was expecting to have an answer.

"They look like they're in pain," responded his partner, equally confused.

As Joe glanced over the shrieking and now cringing creatures, he noticed another oddity. The blue shade that was on every stage of the digimon, a color that perfectly matched the ominous mist that engulfed the city, was different now. They had gained a slight purple tinge. Looking closer, the Digidestined saw that the fog had gained the same hint of color difference. And the alteration to the hue was subtly becoming more pronounced. The blue was definitely turning purple and the shrieking continued to increase in volume.

"Something's happening. I think something important is going on and it might actually be good for us this time," the dark-haired youth stated slowly.

**Rika, Rika, Rika… Planning murder against her friends is how she shows that she cares. And Takato and Guilmon scared her to death with their near-death experience. They will not be hearing the last of this for quite some time.**

**And yes, I added Yolei. I doubt she would forgive me if she missed the entire thing. Perhaps Cody will manage a cameo before the end too. They may not be my favorite digimon characters ever (or my least favorite…), but they deserve some attention anyway.**

**Tammy Mizutani has been a busy little programmer and her actions will have some rather helpful results. The near-invulnerability that the Guardian program was providing Ragnamon has just been tampered with. Maybe that'll teach him the dangers of integrating a powerful piece of programming into the very data of his army of drones and his newest body and deciding the woman he used to activate that program alone because he has more important targets. Well, he does have his back-up plan copy of himself hiding in the computer systems. Maybe he'll get lucky and she won't find it…**

**Feedback is deeply appreciated. So feel free to hit that review button.**


	61. Good Bye

**I have no excuses for the length of time you had to wait for this chapter. The best I can come up with is that I was hit by inspiration from a million different directions and topics. I couldn't escape and was sucked into a bunch of new stories. The biggest threat to my sanity was the newest Transformer movie, which sparked off a new story that completely captured my attention for almost a month without relief. Finally, however, I managed to wrestle myself back to this fandom and this story. I deeply apologize and hope you can forgive me.**

**On a slightly different note, this story currently has the most reviews of any of my stories. Which is fairly exciting for me. So thank you wonderful readers and, again, I'm sorry about the unforgivably long delay.**

_Not possible. Every variable, every mistake from the past, and every probable scenario had been taken into account this time. The plan was flawless. His program was to be his greatest asset, the main guarantee that none of digidestined would gain the upper hand this time._

_And now, the programming he'd embedded in himself and his clone copies to empower them was turning into poison in his very data. Guardian was meant to drain power from everything it encountered and transfer it to himself to provide strength and a high resistance to damage. Now, it felt like it was trying to tear the copies apart. That pain was distant and easy to ignore, but it was even affecting his mega form. He could feel a burning sensation throughout his armored body as the mist shifted slowly from blue to a more reddish shade. His ultimate guarantee of victory was being turned against him._

_Ragnamon also knew who the cause of the shift in battle was. His discarded tool, Tamiko Mizutani, had gained access and altered his hidden lines of code. She'd rewrote Guardian and he'd let her. He'd been too concerned with the obvious threats to be overly cautious of someone he'd used so easily. And now he would pay the price._

_Not the permanent price, however. He still had his failsafe. This plan might have failed, but he would try again. And he could still destroy some of these interfering obstructions first. Perhaps even Willis…_

* * *

"Something's happening," Sakuyamon shouted suddenly. "He's weakening. I can feel it."

As she spoke, a change in color was becoming visible. The blue fog and blue-shelled digimon was closer to purple now and the shift was growing more apparent to even the most oblivious. And if their resident shaman claimed the change was hurting their opponent, Fatemon couldn't be happier.

"No," growled Ragnamon, swinging his head around and scanning the ground. "Willis. I must destroy the Programmer. Stop interferring."

"Not happening, Big Blue. I kind of like interfering," called the Biomerged virus. Drawing his sword, Fatemon announced, "Equal Suffering."

The swift motion of swinging the blade produced a black arc of energy that struck the giant creature across the chest. This time, not only did Ragnamon flinch, he didn't immediately seem to shrug off the damage. For a second, no one knew how to respond to the fact he was no longer invulnerable. Then…

"Blast Rings!"

"Ice Wolf Claw!"

"Wing Blast!"

"Ring of Truth!"

Every Digidestined and tamer still standing started launching their attacks at the same place Fatemon struck. Amazingly, it seemed to be working. The formerly-unstoppable mega was flinching with each impact.

Opening his mouth, he began, "Catastrophic…!"

"Holy Sword!" a tired voice interrupted, a shape erupting from the highly-demolished rubble and slicing the enormous creature's face. The figure was a thoroughly-pounded GuardiAngemon. Apparently the angelic digimon had been hit by one of the previous attacks, but wasn't quite destroyed yet. Again, he announced, "Holy Sword!"

The attack, this time hitting Ragnamon's chest, produced a rather pained snarl. Each successful strike raised the group's optimism. They were _winning_.

"Flower Cannon!" shouted a floral fairy, racing skywards. "Flower Cannon!"

"Electro Shocker!" added a large insect, following her.

Deciding to add his own firepower to the mix, Fatemon announced, "Chaos Destruction!"

The fairy's attack, the bug's lightning, and the virus' energy-based weapon combined into a rather impressive blast that struck, once again, Ragnamon's chest. This time, after the accompanying hiss of pain and the smoke had passed, Fatemon spotted a new detail. The protective shell was no longer perfect. More red now than blue, it had a thin crack where the previous attacks had struck.

"Pineapple-head," he shouted.

"We see it," the dual-voiced knight responded.

"No. Where's Willis? He's _mine_," roared Ragnamon, trying to hit the flying digimon out of the way. "He's _my_ partner. I must destroy him."

"No, you won't," Gallantmon stated firmly. "You've caused enough harm. It is over."

"Crawl back under a rock and never set foot in either world again," both speakers in VictoryGreymon's form ordered. "Trident Gaia!"

"Royal Claymore!" added Gallantmon, holding his sword forward.

The Digi-code writing began to glow along the blade with a white light. The rest of the edged weapon swiftly followed suit. The Biomerged knight aimed the point of his sword in the same direction as VictoryGreymon's enormous energy orb. The blade, crackling with energy, fired the gathered light like a beam.

The bright glow merged with the other mega's attack, creating a single blast of power with incredible potency. The combined strength of the two goggle-headed boys and their reptilian partners struck the target perfectly. Ragnamon screamed in agony as his formerly-impenetrable shell shattered upon impact. It raised one clawed-limb and clutched his chest, staring down in disbelief at the sight of data floating away. Honestly, Fatemon could barely believe what he was seeing either; the giant unstoppable force was dying.

"No," hissed the stunned creature, turning his eyes back towards the ground. "Please. Willis is mine. Let me destroy him first. It is my right. He is my partner."

"There is definitely something wrong with his head," Impmon muttered to the twins. "Hope he never comes back."

"Willis!" bellowed the beast again, his body wavering and disappearing into data more quickly now. "I'll find you again, even if I must destroy both worlds first."

"You'll never have the chance," stated VictoryGreymon firmly.

Ragnamon laughed harshly, "Destruction is guaranteed. This is only a delay. I will never stop and I will never leave him alone."

And with that final lovely thought to comfort them, the last remaining portion of the digimon dissolved apart. Approximately half a minute after that, the odd coloration faded from the mist, leaving it as regular fog, and the victorious digimon and humans began to cheer.

* * *

_His copies, his deadly mist, and even his most powerful body were gone. In fact, the only reason he remained at all was because of careful planning. A back-up. He'd left a back-up on the DADP systems in case of an emergency and, now, it was proving useful._

_He was a Kuramon again, small and weak, but it was only a matter of time before he regained power once more. He could work on his next plan until then. He would not fail again._

_He would keep trying, no matter how many times he was stopped. His whole purpose was to destroy. If he was not causing destruction or planning how to cause it, what was he? From the moment he hatched from his virus-infected digi-egg, he attacked the internet and destroyed every shred of data he could find. Then he found ways to attack the human world. Even broken into his separate components, left as little more than a rogue virus, he possessed another creature and caused more destruction. He was pure destruction. _

_The only thing beyond absolute chaotic annihilation that he cared about was Willis. He couldn't get the boy out of his mind. The Programmer was his partner and must be destroyed. He would be destroyed. It was everything that he was: destruction. It was all that he knew how to do._

_Once more, he wondered about the strange difference between his own behavior towards his partner and the other digimon. They protected. They guarded. They placed themselves in danger to keep their partner safe. He was the only one that tried to harm. Was it… wrong? Was he supposed to be like them instead? Was he supposed to be more than destruction? Could he have been more than what he was now; could he have been like the rest of them? What would he have been like without the virus? Would he have been with Willis? Would he have been… happy?_

_It didn't matter. He was that virus. It was a part of him. He could not change what he was. He could not change. A small virus-infected digimon, currently at the baby level, and intent on destroying everything._

"_There you are," a smug female voice remarked._

_The one-eyed digimon glanced up, spotting the floating square of a computer screen. This small window to the outside world displayed a blond woman and a winged-humanoid digimon. It took only a few seconds to realize that he was seeing Tamiko Mizutani, the discarded tool that had proven to be dangerous, and a Darcmon. She'd already rewrote the Guardian program and ruined his plan. And they'd located his back-up now._

_No… This cannot be. _

"_Never mess with a DigiDestined," she stated, hitting a few more keys. "It never ends well."_

_He felt it hit him, like the worst antivirus software he'd ever encountered. Normally he could shrug off such mundane pieces of programming. The virus embedded in his data had evolved with him, becoming more complex and dangerous over time. But she was an expert programmer and had a dangerous weapon already. One he'd provided her, the Guardian program, but she'd combined it with something else. Whatever she was using was ripping him apart. The modified Guardian program attacked his digimon portion and the virus that was an integral part of his existence was hit by a more standard program, simply a very powerful piece of antivirus software. He might have survived one or the other, but not both and definitely not in his weakened state._

"_Good-bye," he sighed, acknowledging his final defeat as he broke apart._

* * *

Willis stared at the empty space in the sky. Ragnamon was gone. The product of his mistake, his attempts to create another digimon like he might simply program a computer game, was destroyed. Again.

Was he really gone this time or, as he'd claimed, only delayed? Could he be stopped permanently or was the American digidestined doomed to an endless cycle of watching the shadows of his past return in a new form? The boy didn't know. He honestly didn't know if it would ever end, but he knew that he and his partners would not run and hide any longer. If Diaboromon, Armegeddemon, Ragnamon, or even that virus ever resurfaced again, they would face him together. And, judging by all the powerful beings who had appeared, they would not have to fight alone.

"Aw… There's no one left to fight. That's no fun," commented Minervamon, her tone identical to a child informed that playtime was over. She leaned against her oversized blade, pouting. "Is there any other targets to crush into data? Please?"

"You are one scary mon," Matt muttered.

"Willis," shouted Gargomon, running across the destroyed landscape with his blade-wielding sibling. "You're all right. And we won."

The blond young man grinned as the pair reached him, dedigivolving back to their rookie form, and took up positions on each of his shoulders. Both of his partners were unharmed. Terriermon and Lopmon were perfectly fine. They were alive and the monster was gone.

"Whoa, look at that, Henry," a strange voice laughed. "Another me."

A dark-haired boy approached Willis with a wry smile on his face and a very familiar-looking digimon on his head. The strange young man waved slightly and the American returned the gesture.

"Hi, I'm Willis," remarked the blond digidestined. "This is Lopmon and, as you probably know, Terriermon."

The dark-haired boy smirked, "Yes, I did guess. Well, my name is Henry and the rabbit perched on my head like a hat is also Terriermon."

"This could get confusing," Willis' Terriermon commented. "Do you have a twin brother too?"

"No, the only twins on our side is Ai and Mako," Henry's partner explained. "Though Suzie, Henry's sister, has a Lopmon for a partner. She's a girl, however."

Willis smiled at the pair of white and green rabbits. They were likely contemplating some form of switching trick. Or his partner was at least. He didn't know Henry's well enough to know for certain. Though, judging by the way the dark-haired young man rolled his eyes knowingly at the conversation, his Terriermon would likely enjoy the idea.

After several moments of discussion, the quieter twin finally entered the conversation with a small question. Lopmon, tilting his head curiously, leaned forward.

"What does 'momentai' mean?"

* * *

The danger was gone. Miko could sense it. She was near the really big puddle, the one that she couldn't walk around and was full of yummy fishy smells. It was as far as she could get from the mist, the mist that smelled like a powerful storm. But it was gone now.

Her white and reddish fur smoothed back down, the feline calm once again. She didn't feel hunted anymore. She was safe.

Miko began the long trip back home. Most of the humans and the not-humans were gone from the city, fleeing from the ominous sense of danger that made the feline flee, so it should be easy to get home. Hopefully, she would avoid any dogs. And maybe the tall female would have food waiting for her there.

* * *

It took almost half an hour, but all the combatants finally managed to converge. Plenty of them were hurt and exhausted, but the only one unlucky enough to suffer a direct hit from Ragnamon turned out to be Marsmon. He was their only true loss.

The original DigiDestined finally got to experience a true reunion. Riku and Hiro brought a trio of strange digidestined with them, two girls, a boy, and their partners DoKunemon, Gaomon, and Kotemon, that they'd encountered during the battle. The younger ones quickly excused themselves from the meeting of old friends. Tammy had assured them that she had made certain that their enemy was truly gone and apologized to her long-lost human companions and digital partners for her actions in recent days. Without question, they all forgave her and steered her away from that topic. The collection of varied adults and digimon shared stories of the years since their separation, explaining what had become of the divided DigiDestined as they grew, reminding each other of their past adventures, and discussing what they would do in the future. Considering their members included a public speaker with a future in politics, an ex-DADP member with a talent for computers and experience with government agencies, a successful businessman with plenty of loyal customers and business connections, a young man who Destiny knew would someday create a digimon card game for this reality with the talented teenager to do the artwork, they would be the perfect team to help smooth out the tense relationship between humanity and the digital beings. It would be hard work to change so many negative opinions, but the prophetess knew they would help pave the way for a brighter future. Adults have more faith in the opinions of other adults and would be more receptive to unpopular ideas if they came from adults instead of children.

The Digidestined were also in the middle of reuniting and assuring themselves that they were alive. Tai, Matt, and Sora had converged, smiling in relief that all three of them and their partners had emerged in one piece. The three close friends had quickly filled the musician in on some of the most recent events and planned a trip at to the (hopefully still intact) theater together in the same breath. The Digidestined of Sincerity had reunited with her vegetative partner after Ragnamon's destruction, murmuring that her petals looked a little wilted. Shortly after spotting Izzy with his own partner again, Mimi, much to the shock of the Digidestined of Knowledge, had thrown herself at him in a tight hug. A second later, she'd let go, apologizing that it was a habit she'd picked up in America. He had stuttered out a quick "its okay," but he was blushing and smiling slightly as he spoke. Joe had arrived at the location a short time after Destiny arrived with her group, bringing Cody with him. Apparently Submarimon had brought the possessor of the Digi-Eggs of Knowledge and Reliability across the water to the city just a short time before the battle was over. Neither the bespectacled young man nor the Digidestined with the bowl-cut knew the full story yet, so they were speaking with Kari and T.K. with an excited Davis trying to share the great news about the Digi-Egg of Miracles. Yolei had swiftly zeroed in on Ken.

"Really, you couldn't take _five_ minutes to call me?" she asked, her voice carrying over the other conversations easily. "I was on a family trip to see my mom's side of the family. Do you know what that is like? I had to deal with not only my brother and sisters, but all my cousins. My mom's family is known for being big. I couldn't get a moment's peace. My youngest cousin didn't seem to realize that Poromon is not a toy. I would have taken any excuse to get out there. All of you are facing the end of the world again and you couldn't bother to let me know so I could help? You could have been killed, the world destroyed, and I would be going insane while remaining ignorant of what was happening outside my Aunt's home. I am not forgetting this."

Ken raised his hands apologetically in defense, but was smart enough to remain silent. Anything he might say would only dig him in further and he knew it. The impulsive and passionate Digidestined would eventually calm down and forgive him for not calling her. Besides, the Digidestined of Kindness knew her well enough to recognize that part of her rant was due to the fact she had worried about all of them.

GuardiAngemon and his surviving followers had requested to return to the digital world. He felt that they had undone the damage they had wrought by assisting the malevolent digimon and, though they no longer felt that all humans were evil and intent on destroying all digital beings, they preferred to remain in the human world no longer than necessary. Destiny opened a portal for them, though Minervamon paused long enough to shout that she "loved fighting with all the fun digimon who partnered with humans who weren't actually traitors after all since she wasn't supposed to destroy them anymore" and that she hoped to "meet up and play a game, sing some karaoke, or combat all enemies of GuardiAngemon sometime." Everyone gave the mega an uneasy grin at the cheerful and violent suggestion, but she left skipping into the portal without a care in the world.

The tamers had clumped together, discussing their experiences with their crests and what they might mean when they made it back home. From the way Rika kept looking at Takato and how Renamon kept a paw on the red-haired girl's shoulder, the Tamer of Trust was struggling to not begin ranting at the goggle-headed boy in a way that would make Yolei's attempts look pathetic. She apparently didn't appreciate the near death of Gallantmon earlier. Jeri was actually smiling, happy everyone was safe and her success at protecting the group of humans providing her with greater confidence as a tamer. Henry, after dragging his partner away from an undoubtedly interesting conversation with Willis' partners, had filled in a mildly confused Impmon about why Dianamon and the other megas who previously attacked them ended up on their side. And during all of these conversations, Ai and Mako were excitedly talking about how cool the whole event was, from their new mode change to the final moments of the fight itself.

Destiny wanted to join them, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it yet. Her mind was too busy turning over the implications of her recent realization. The tiny fragments of memory had suddenly aligned, providing her the answers that she had wanted for so long and yet never expected to turn out this way. So many things made sense, however. That one memory that had evaded her for so long told her _why_ she lost him and _how_. And, armed with that knowledge, she could find a way to regain Fate.

But first, she had one last task. She stepped over to Kari. The girl and her feline partner broke off from their conversation and turned their attention towards the prophetess.

Glancing down at her current outfit, Destiny began, "I want to thank you for loaning me some clothes. I haven't worn t-shirts and jeans since… I don't know when. I should give these back now since…"

"Keep them," interrupted the Digidestined of Light. "Consider it a gift from all of us in this reality."

"You look better in a purple shirt than a cloak. Even if it isn't as mysterious-looking," Gatomon added.

Kari nodded in agreement before asking, "You're leaving soon, then? All of you?"

"Yes, we have to return now. It is time for reunions," the blue-eyed girl confided, "for everyone."

"I hope we'll meet again someday," smiled the Digidestined of Light.

Destiny remarked, "I don't know if we will or not. Traveling through realities and timelines make it hard to know for certain and this is my last prophecy." She was quiet for a moment before acknowledging, "But it _would_ be nice."

With that final statement, the prophetess turned towards the tamers. Somehow, the humans and digimon sensed her change in attention and met her gaze.

"We're leaving, aren't we?" observed Henry. "We're heading back to our own universe."

After Destiny nodded in confirmation, Takato decided to say one last thing to his idol.

"Hey, Tai! Just wanted to tell you that getting to meet you and even fight beside you was like a dream come true. You're a great guy and I was lucky to meet you."

The older Goggle-head smiled back, "You're not half-bad yourself, Takato. You and Guilmon take care of yourselves."

As she expected, they began to fade into blackness as the final syllables left the Digidestined of Courage's mouth. They were disappearing into another reality.

**Yep, Ragnamon is dead. Taken out by the combined effort of VictoryGreymon and Gallantmon. Behold the might of the Goggle-heads! …And a little help from the computer expert, Tammy Mizutani, to keep him dead this time. But you **_**know**_** that it is the right of the Goggle-heads to beat the creep. I intended for these two Biomerged beings to be the ones to make the final blow since I began this story almost two years ago (wow… has it really been that long?). **

**And, just in case anyone was worried about her, I made sure to demonstrate that Miko is fine. The cat lives through the disaster, perfectly unharmed.**

**In case you haven't noticed, we are drawing near the end. I still have to tie up a few more loose ends and finish off Apocalymon in the tamer's universe. But we are almost finished. And, while I have a plan for a third story for this series (entitled "Predestination"), it will almost certainly be a long wait for that one. I intend to go through both this story and the previous one to do some serious editing first. I'll fix spelling errors, flesh-out and smooth over rough spots in the plot and characterization, and try to make everything better. Then, I'll make sure that I have all the problems for the next story ironed out before I start. So, I have to hope you are patient about waiting for the third part of my intended trilogy. **

**And, once more, I am so impossibly sorry about how long this chapter took. I know you must be upset about it. But I hope that you'll forgive me. Thanks.**


	62. Humility

**I am near the end of this story. I've had fun and I am thankful for the wonderful readers who have supported me through all of it. All the fun feedback has kept me motivated and working hard. A special thanks to Fergus Flamacron for being my three hundredth reviewer. I never expected to reach that number. So thanks!**

**We still have at least one enemy to defeat, however, before things come to an end. And I hope that you enjoy it. I've been waiting for this particular defeat for some time. I have had it planned for years. It will be fun to see how you react to it. So, sit back and enjoy.**

As had been the case far too many times to count, he was next to useless. It was a sensation that was both familiar and one he hated. He would always feel aggravated when he was left on the sidelines with no possible way to help. With Hypnos, Yamaki could organize and gather experts, combining useful elements to solve a problem. As a tamer, he was left holding a petrified Calumon while children, regardless of how qualified, handled the threat. It was like the battle against Devimon again, only he didn't think his one ability as a tamer, to help Calumon cause digivolution, would be beneficial this time.

"It's hard, isn't it?" remarked Destiny, startling the adult as she appeared. "Not being able to fight alongside them. Not being able to defend them. Does it make you feel helpless, Mitsuo Yamaki? Useless? Like you are dead weight?"

The man stared at the cloaked girl, wondering what she was trying to do. Was she trying to anger him? To dig up any doubts he might have? Or, like the last time he was in this situation, was she testing his conviction? She made him accept his position as a tamer when they faced Devimon. What was she up to this time?

Continuing, she asked, "Do you wish things were different? That you were more like the other tamers? Do you wish that you could fulfill a higher position in the group? You are older and far more knowledgeable about the world than the others. If things were different, you could have been in charge of the tamers just as you are with Hypnos. You could have made them into a superior force with proper direction."

"I might be older than any of them, but even Suzie Wong out there has more experience as a tamer than I do," Yamaki pointed out, refusing to let a child suggest he might so little confidence that he would be uneasy if he was not in charge for once.

"Of course she does. Her partner is helpful in a fight." The prophetess gestured at the battlefield where Cherubimon avoided another Apocalymon's attacks. The giant being was determined to destroy the rabbit digimon. "Even Kenta's partner, who specializes in defense, has combative potential. The only one who can't fight against a threat is you."

"Get to the point," ordered the adult tamer, tired of these games.

"Do any of these facts, any of these questions, make you want something more? To be something greater than moral support?" she asked, her tone urging him to consider her words carefully. "Does your pride demand that you deserve better? Do you feel that you should have a real partner, one worthy of a man of your experience, and not the low-level digimon without a single attack that you have?"

At her final question, his eyebrows furrowed dangerously. He adjusted his grip of the in-training digimon quivering in his arms, holding the small being more protectively. Yamaki would be the first to admit that he'd been initially uneasy with the idea of having a partner, let alone the hyper and cheerful one he'd ended up with. But as illogical as it seemed for the two of them to be paired together, he had grown rather fond of Calumon. Though all of his naivety and excited behavior tended to make the man's life more chaotic and difficult, there was no denying that the small digimon meant the best. Riley absolutely adored having Calumon around, citing the fact that the creampuff-loving creature was having a good effect on the man, and Yamaki knew he was becoming quite attached himself. The idea that he would wish for a more powerful and perhaps less sporadic partner because he felt he deserved better was simply too foolish to conceive. Whether or not he liked admitting it aloud, he'd grown accustomed to Calumon's specific kind of chaos and didn't want to lose it for something as inane as a better role within the tamers.

He may enjoy having a great influence at Hypnos, having climbed the ladder during his career to reach his present role there. But running the government agency and being a tamer were extremely different things, even if he'd not been in the second role for very long yet and did not have as complete an understanding of what taming implied as the children did at times. In many ways, he was still an outsider to the tamers. All of them were children, some very young still, and they were not his usual social peers. And, even if he did tend to get along with them and respect them far more than many people his own age, it was still odd to consider himself as "one of them." But he was growing more comfortable in that role and the blond man viewed his job and taming in different ways.

Running Hypnos was what he _did_, but being a tamer was what he _was_. In taming, there was no ladder-climbing or promotions. That was why there was no "true leader" of the group and the hierarchy was so flexible; they didn't need or want that type of structure. Those with experience and a level-head might lead in most situations, but no one truly strove for a position of power among the tamers. Anyone had an equal chance at any role within the group and they all supported each other without question. That support and trust seemed to be a large portion of what they needed in order to pull off those miracles.

And since he was one of them, he didn't have to worry about his place among them. Even _if_ he was someone with such low self-esteem instead of the confident and in-control man he was. All of he needed to do was support the tamers by any means he could. Whether with Hypnos' resources or by standing on the sidelines. If he was not meant to be a heavy-hitter and use direct force alongside them, then so be it. He would be moral support if that was what they needed. He did not need a different partner or a position of power among the group to prove his worth. He did not need to prove anything to anyone. He ran Hypnos, but here he was just another tamer. And that was enough.

"No," he stated finally, vaguely noticing that Calumon was looking up at him. "I have exactly what I deserve and need. What more could I want?"

"So you are content with what you have and have nothing to prove?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"Good," Destiny nodded back.

As she spoke, light erupted from the card-like object Suzie insisted he wear around his neck. Startled by the sudden glow, Calumon let out a small squeak and wiggled free of the man's grip. The in-training digimon swiftly took up his usual location on top of Yamaki's head and peered down curiously at the crest.

White lines began to form on the surface. The white lines on the white background were difficult to make out, but they were slightly visible at an angle. A small shape, vaguely like a child's drawing of the sun or a flower, formed inside of a circle. With the lines formed, a high pitched ringing began to sound in his ears. And that ringing swiftly became voices.

Humility. The quality of true modesty. Promoting your capability for meekness. Being able to shed off pride and arrogance. Realizing the real worth of yourself and seeking nothing more. 

Pride has its time and place, but it should not rule your thoughts. Strive to do your best and fulfill your potential, but do not fear to accept your limits and your true role. Accept your place in the hierarchy and position within the group without regret. It is not weakness to treasure your role without hungering for more.

Modesty does not mean accepting no praise or to completely ignore the worth of your actions. It means to not seek out attention and power beyond what is granted. The meek have greater potential than most realize and that will be the downfall of the proud and arrogant. Accept what you have without wishing for something greater and you will be rewarded with what you need.

Humility.

"That was fun," commented Calumon slowly, his terror finally ebbed. "Can we do it again?"

"Congratulations, Mitsuo Yamaki," the cloaked child commented. "You will never be the most physically-threatening pair, but by accepting this fact without question and not allowing pride to rule your decisions, you have discovered your greatest gift."

"Humility?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow. "I thought my experiences with the Juggernaut program and the D-reaper taught me that lesson already. I already accepted that I'm not perfect."

"You accepted the bitter half of humility, but not the good. You had moments of peace that it could bring you, but now you can truly embrace the power it gives you. You understand your limitations without regrets and feel no need to seek what you do not need," she explained. "So you can teach others to be humble and mild in return."

"Huh?" Calumon remarked in confusion.

"Listen carefully," stated Destiny. "'The End shall end if he ignores the harmless. The small and meek is not the weak. The youngest of mind and form hold the power to stop the threat. Defeat comes from the least expected quarters.'" She gave the white in-training being a gentle pat on the head. "Do you understand what you must do now?"

"Nope," answered the digimon, sounding oddly cheerful for someone without a clue.

The adult tamer, however, nodded slowly, "I believe I do. But will it work?"

"Have faith in yourself, your young partner, and your crest. None of them will let you down," she assured. "But act swiftly. The tamers need your support."

Without another word, she vanished through another portal.

* * *

"Lightning Lash!" shouted Cherubimon, her electrically-charged ribbon striking another of Apocalymon's giant grasping limbs.

The giant digimon was after her. He wanted to get rid of her, but Suzie knew he wouldn't win. Not only were she and Lopmon fighting against his attempts, but so were Plesiomon, HiAndromon, and Justimon. The aquatic mega was especially talented at blocking Apocalymon's strikes and the metal pair of digimon kept blasting and slashing away. They kept fighting back against the being, but he was proving to be fairly tough.

She didn't understand why he was so determined to get her. He would attack the others, but he wanted _her_. Apocalymon wanted her gone more than anyone else, claimed she was a threat to him, and would not stop. But she didn't know how she could stop him any better than the boys. They were just as strong as her and yet he thought she would be the one to stop him.

Well, if that was how it was going to work, she'd beat him so badly that Henry would be completely impressed by her maturity.

"Crimson Lightning!" snarled Apocalymon.

She shouted back, "Pure of Heart!"

Her beam of light struck his red electricity, negating both attacks. The angelic rabbit moved instantly, using one of her ribbons to grab the twisted limb closest to her and yanked it to the ground. Justimon zeroed in on the ground-level target.

"Razor's Edge!" he announced, slashing with his green-glowing blades before Apocalymon yanked free of her.

HiAndromon, racing around on the motorcycle still, opened fire again in the hopes of doing some damage this time, "Ion Cannon!"

"Evil Wing!" the planetoid-sized digimon retaliated, sending a swarm of bats racing towards her.

"Neptune's Blessing!" cried Plesiomon, a wave swirling around her protectively. Shifting to the offensive, he fired a blast of water at a limb while shouting, "Typhoon Geyser!"

"Enough," snapped Apocalymon, grabbing a semi-solid remaining fragment of the previously destroyed village. He hurled it at the aquatic mega, hitting his face. Then, two of his huge limbs shot out and slammed into Cherubimon, sending her to the ground painfully. He pinned her arms and kept her tightly in place. "It is time to end this exercise."

"Leave her alone," shouted Justimon, racing towards her. "Razor's…"

The cyborg's efforts were abruptly halted as another of the giant creature's oversized limbs smacked him solidly. The metallic mega flew through the air to crash out of sight beyond the tree line. Apocalymon turned his attention back to her struggles to get free.

"Henwy…" Suzie muttered softly in fear.

* * *

They were rather surprised when they reappeared. She was half-way expecting to appear back at the same spot they left, that one street corner near the crash site. Another possibility that Rika entertained was the park near Guilmon's building. That location had plenty of tradition behind it as an arrival and leaving point for trips to other worlds. What she never expected was for them to arrive in the digital world. And she especially didn't expect to appear at a battlefield.

The group of tamers and digimon were at the edge of a vaguely-familiar clearing. The clearing itself was a wreck, suggesting that the fight had been going on for some time already. Huge craters and torn-up chunks of earth were scattered across the ground. But more distracting was the presence of a giant digimon, Apocalymon, taking up a large portion of the sky. They just finished fighting _one_ impossible enemy and now they were looking at another one.

Below the floating planetoid-sized being, she could spot a vaguely sea monster-looking digimon shaking his head as if to clear it, a coppery robot on a bike, and a giant rabbit being held down by Apocalymon. It did not take much effort to identify them, even in these new forms. Especially if Destiny brought them here to witness the battle.

"Suzie?" gasped Henry, spotting the angelic bunny that must be connected to his sister. He fumbled for his D-arc. "No."

"Wait," the prophetess commanded gently.

"Apocalymon," a firm voice shouted from across the clearing. "Let Cherubimon go now."

"Or else I'll have to turn into SuperAwesomeCoolnessmon and make you sorry," a more excited and childish voice added.

"Yamaki and Calumon? What are they doing?" asked a stunned Takato.

Rika, now that she knew to look for them, could spot the man. He was marching the field with his small partner balanced on his head. The government agent looked rather calm for someone walking so close to a dangerous mega without any real protection.

"And who are you to order me?" Apocalymon asked, sounding mildly amused.

Even at this distance, she could make out a smile, "I'm just another tamer. Nothing truly that special."

"How humble," the planetoid-sized digimon remarked dryly.

"Humility is good for a person. Keeps them from making too many mistakes," Yamaki stated, taking his D-arc in one hand and grabbing something around his neck. "Perhaps you should learn some."

"Is that a crest?" Rika asked, realizing what the man was doing.

Yamaki had never used a card before or likely even studied the game before. The girl didn't know of any reason why he would. Calumon was not a combative digimon in any sense of the word. He had, however, observed other tamers and seemed to understand the mechanics. She didn't even see him pause as he acted.

"Digi-Modify! Crest of Humility Activate!"

She didn't know what she expected to happen. How do you predict the effect of a crest on a digimon who couldn't digivolve? It was just a little out of her experience.

The ex-Catalyst sitting on the man's head began to glow. Not just the red triangle like how he used to, but all of him. From his purple-tipped ears to his white body to his bright green eyes, he was _glowing_. The white, purple, red, and green light radiated out from the in-training digimon. Then, the multi-colored glow shot out and enveloped Apocalymon.

Everyone looked startled by the event, though she didn't know how the recipient of Calumon's action was responding. The planetoid-sized being was completely hidden by the technicolored light. The glow remained for several seconds, concealing the giant digimon, before fading away and leaving a small blue shape to tumble out of the sky.

* * *

"Wow," whispered Kazu within his mental bubble. "Go Calumon."

As soon as the light vanished, the small white digimon collapsed limply and Yamaki was forced to catch his exhausted partner before he fell off the man's head. And, tumbling out of the air from where Apocalymon once hovered, DemiDevimon crashed face first into the dirt.

"He dedigivolved him," the tamer half of HiAndromon muttered before grinning in his brown orb. "Which is good for us."

"Wha…What happened?" sputtered the bat before catching sight of the bike-riding android charging towards him. "Now take it easy. We can work this out."

"Say good-bye," the Biomerged being commented. "Ion Cannon!"

A quick blast and the manipulative virus was gone. Before he could take pleasure in his victory, Kazu's ride suddenly took off again.

"Behemoth, wait a minute," the boy's voice begged. "I thought we worked this out. No insane driving right now, please."

The demonic motorcycle seemed to have no intention of halting and, when he looked ahead to their apparent destination, Kazu realized why. The other tamers, digimon, and some girl he sort of recognized were standing there watching them.

Raising one hand to wave, HiAndromon greeted, "Hey, guys. We have tons to tell you."

Unfortunately, Behemoth chose that moment to turn sharply and come to a halt, dislodging the android from the seat. The metallic digimon was sent tumbling across the ground in a series of clangs. And the bike's engine rumbled in a manner that Kazu felt was meant to be laughter.

"What in the world were you doing on _my_ motorcycle?" asked Impmon, glaring at the Biomerged mega.

Guardromon's voice answered, "It was a brilliant strategy devised by Kazu. Behemoth's speed and maneuverability was quite an asset this day."

"And it didn't take over your brain? Or what little brain you two have?" asked Rika.

Dedigivolving back into separate entities, the tamer declared proudly, "Nope, it worked perfectly. Even with you yelling at me for all my ideas and threatening me when I climbed on the bike, I managed to stun you with my genius anyway." At her very confused expression, Kazu abruptly remembered that was his imaginary Rika and not the real one. "Wait, never mind. That wasn't _you_ you. It was the common sense you. I mean, you have common sense, but I meant the you that lives in my head and yells at me. Not that you're always on my mind or anything. Because that would be weird."

"Henwy," shouted Suzie, possibly saving him from making things worse. The little girl had separated from her partner sometime between the moment Apocalymon was defeated and now. Following the running child, rabbit in her arms, were Kenta, Bukamon (also divided), Yamaki, and a sleeping Calumon. When Suzie drew near her brother, she set down Lopmon and pounced into Henry's arms. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Suzie," the tamer assured. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Wait, you guys have crests too?" asked a stunned Kenta, pointing at the white rectangle around Takato's neck.

Kazu glanced at the gathered group and noticed that everyone had crests on. Including the girl that he finally realized was Destiny without her cloak on. And, except for the prophetess, they all had a symbol on them to indicate they had activated them already.

"Yeah," the goggle-headed boy nodded. "From Gennai himself."

"Did you say 'Gennai'? What do you mean 'Gennai'?" gasped Kazu, his eyes widening at the implications. "As in… television show 'Gennai'?"

Takato gained a mildly mischievious grin, "Yes, and he wasn't the only one. Four words: I. Met. Tai. Kamiya."

Kazu and Kenta stared at him silently for a few moments before grabbing Takato by the shoulders and shaking him violently.

"What do you mean you met Tai?" they shouted in unison.

"I met him. And Davis. And all the other Digidestined," the boy explained, his head swing back and forth from the pair's shaking. "And I even fought alongside Tai and Agumon."

"And you couldn't take us, Chumley?" Kazu screamed frantically, his voice climbing an octave. "I could have met Tai Kamiya and you didn't take us?"

"Sorry, I would have if I could've," Takato answered, prying his friends' arms off.

Before Kazu could continue his questioning of his friend or possibly start begging Destiny to take him to Tai too, Justimon leapt into view from wherever Apocalymon had knocked him. The Biomerged mega looked around the now-deserted battlefield before noticing the gathering of tamers. The group was now oddly quiet, staring at the cyborg intently. Activating his small propulsive wings, he glided over to them. He set down directly in front of a rather stunned-looking Rika before separating back into two individuals.

Ryo smiled at the wide-eyed, mouth-open, slightly shaking, red-haired girl before casually remarking, "Hey there, Wildcat. Miss me?"

No one immediately reacted; the new arrivals looking like they were seeing a ghost. Kazu abruptly realized that they didn't know Ryo was alive again. For them, it was as if the Digimon King had simply risen from the grave in front of them. No wonder they were shocked.

Rika's hand slowly began to rise from her side. Kazu didn't know if it was going to cover her mouth or reach out to touch the tamer to reassure herself Ryo was real. Either action would fit the situation and her stunned expression.

Then, her eyebrows furrowed together suddenly. Her hand tightened into a fist and slammed into the jaw of the Digimon King. Unprepared for the blow, Ryo went down hard. The tamer rubbed his face gingerly and stared up at her in confusion.

"How dare you? How dare you even… You _die_ and all you can say is 'hey there'? Do you have the slightest idea of how… You were _dead_. You died, Ryo. Do you know what that means? I went to your _funeral_. What were you thinking? Didn't you consider what would happen after you got yourself killed?" she ranted, her eyes blazing dangerously. Most of the humans and digimon took an uneasy step backwards. Ryo seemed to realize that silence might be the best strategy and remained exactly where he landed as Rika continued to yell at him. "Anything that happens affects all of us. That means that when someone goes and pulls off a stupid heroic sacrifice, we all have to deal with the consequences. Do you know how your death affected us? How it affected m… I mean, you allowed yourself to be killed because of your crazy decisions. And you just _waltz_ right back like it never happened? How are you even here? Don't answer that," she snapped as he opened his mouth. "I don't care. Whatever you did, whatever happened, I don't care. What I _do_ care about is that you had better understand one important fact: you will _not_ be repeating this. You will never do something so stupid again that it kills you. No insane heroic sacrifices _ever_ or else I'll hunt you down to whatever afterlife you end up in and make you _suffer_. Do you understand me, Ryo Akiyama?"

The Digimon King nodded quickly in response to the intense expression on her face. She glared at him for another moment before turning and smacking Takato on the side of his head.

"Ow… What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot she'd hit.

"_That_ was for almost letting Ragnamon kill you and taking so long to let the rest of us know you survived," she answered sharply, her temper not yet spent. "You don't use your crest and fly to safety until the last possible moment and you don't expect me to be ticked off? You didn't die, but you sure pressed your luck this time. Goggle-head, you are the next most likely of us to do something incredibly stupid that would get you killed. You are not allowed to die either. So, I repeat: no heroic sacrifices ever. Or else. Got it?"

"Perfectly clear," he answered weakly. "No dying ever."

The girl stared at Takato for a moment more before taking a deep breath and nodding to herself. She turned and looked back at the rest of the now-nervous tamers.

"So, what now?" she asked.

**Hehehe. Rika's fury is just a sign that she cares. Really. But what do you expect? She's been a little stressed and she's been handed some shocking news. And the reappearance of the Digimon King was the breaking point. Ryo has returned from the dead and after Takato's near death earlier too, she wants to make sure that she doesn't have to deal with any more losses in the future. **

**And I've had this plan for Calumon for **_**years**_**. Ever since my father, who watched the show with me and my siblings (what an awesome parent… willing to watch Saturday morning cartoons with his kids and actually pay attention to the storyline), wondered if Calumon could provide the power to digivolve, could he reverse the process? By the end of the series, the in-training never **_**did**_** dedigivolve anyone. But, it still made a little sense. So, that is what Yamaki's crest will enable him to do. Calumon simply serves as a channel between "the big spinning triangle" and a digimon, allowing the power to go through him in reverse this time. It is, however, very hard on the little guy since he was never intended to fulfill this role. He is left even more exhausted than when he helps digivolve a digimon, so it is not something they'll do often.**

**By my calculations, I have about one or two more chapters left. At most, there will be three. I hope you like the ending for this story and that you'll stick around for the next one.**


	63. History Repeats

**So close to the end. And yet I have at least one important event to cover. Some people guessed things a long time ago (I was a little obvious with the hints at that point), but hopefully people have begun to forget such things or missed them in the first place. If I can surprise at least one person at this point with something in this chapter, I'll be content.**

**Quick note, I finally broke down and got a Deviant Art account to post pictures connected to my stories (and a few other author's work that I like). Go ahead and check them out. The link is on my profile page. I hope to have more at some point.**

**This chapter will have sections mentioned in previous chapters. I also went back and watch the important episodes to get a feel for the sequence of events again and to get the timing right. I hope you enjoy it.**

She felt mildly better now that she'd exploded at the two boys. She _would_ have verbally attacked Takato sooner, but the firm pressure of Renamon's paw on her shoulder and the silent request to stay calm kept her desire to _throttle_ the insane Goggle-head in check. She tried to remind herself that it wasn't really his fault and that he didn't mean to scare everyone with that near-death experience. It wasn't like he _purposely_ tried to disappear from their lives (like how her father left, a dark whisper in the back of her mind reminded the girl) and he did survive the event (unlike Ryo…). She didn't like the idea of losing someone, regardless of whether it was through death or simply because of abandonment, but she kept repeating to herself that it wasn't really Takato's fault and everything worked out. Her self-control of her murderous intentions remained strong until she was faced with the formerly-deceased Ryo. That was just too much. All of her shock, fear, sorrow, and sense of loss and near-loss focused into absolute fury that she turned first on the Digimon King and then Takato. It was short, but very satisfying. And, if Rika had to guess from the expressions on their and everyone else's faces, they would never put her through that kind of pain again. She couldn't stand the idea of losing her friends and would do anything to prevent it, even scaring them with a furious rant.

Calmer now, she turned her attention back to the present situation and away from the stressful events and unwelcome thoughts that the last few hours had presented. The rather large group of humans and digimon were still standing in the middle of the fairly destroyed clearing. And, as interesting as it was to witness the end of the battle against Apocalymon, Rika wanted to move on. She either wanted to go on to whatever was the newest challenge there might be or go home. Hanging out in an empty field did not suit the proactive girl.

"What now?" she asked.

"I leave," commented Destiny's voice, but it did not come from the prophetess wearing a t-shirt.

Out of the tree line stepped a very familiar cloaked figure. She stepped over to the dark-haired girl and nodded. The more casually-dressed version of the two nodded in response.

"Is it just me or do you see double?" asked Kazu quietly.

"You will take them from here?" remarked the cloaked prophetess, apparently unfazed by the fact she was speaking to herself.

The t-shirt wearing Destiny answered, "Yes, I will be handling everything from this point. Your task is complete." She paused for a moment before adding, "Though, you did drag out your conversation with Yamaki a little. The situation was serious and you spoke in more riddles than necessary."

"He is an adult. They tend to have a harder time accepting important concepts and mindsets than the younger generations," defended the hooded figure. It was rather odd to consider the fact that Destiny was complaining about her own past self's behavior. Especially considering that she still used quite a few riddles when speaking with them. Time travel just made everything strange. "Perhaps I_ could_ have been more concise, but I wanted to be certain he considered my words carefully. And _you_ know that long, perplexing statements can often force the mind to truly ponder the meaning."

"Yes, cryptic riddles and dark cloaks tend to get people's attention," she acknowledged.

The cloaked Destiny gestured at her other self, "Though you seemed to have relaxed your standards. Jeans and t-shirts are not the standard outfit of prophetess."

"Sometimes you need to fit in and blend rather than command attention. And I have no further need of my cloak," the t-shirt-wearing girl replied.

The cloaked prophetess remained silent for a moment, staring from within her shadowy hood at the other Destiny. Finally, she turned and began to walk away.

"This prophecy and my task are complete, so I have no further need to be here," stated the enshrouded figure before disappearing from view.

"Okay," muttered Terriermon. "Now we're back to only one of them. Can we go home now?"

"Just a moment more, please," answered the remaining Destiny. "I will not take up much more of your time. I must merely wait for a final guest and then I have something to show you."

"What awe you going to show us?" asked Suzie curiously.

The dark-haired girl quietly stated, "An answer. And a memory."

"Great. More cryptic stuff," grumbled Kazu. "Can't you ever be clear? And weren't you just complaining about that to the other you?"

His complaint was met with high-pitched giggles. Even without looking, Rika recognized the sound of a Digi-Gnome. Yamaki, however, had no actual experience with the glowing entities. At most, he might have heard them reference the beings. The man jerked in surprise and shifted his stance to something oddly protective of the exhausted, unconscious Calumon in his arms. The giggling digital being gave the adult tamer and partner a quick examination, possibly intrigued by Yamaki's reaction, before floating over towards the prophetess.

Abruptly, Takato smacked his forehead, "Oh man, we left that one Digi-Gnome back in the Digidestined's universe."

"It is all right," assured Destiny. "They can take care of themselves. Besides, that particular Digi-Gnome is meant to remain. Just as this one is meant to help. That is why it came here now."

"Or we're just lucky it showed up," Terriermon remarked. "How do you keep all of this stuff and timing straight?"

The prophetess turned her gaze on the white and green rabbit and stated, "Momentai."

"Don't use my word against me," he responded.

The Digi-Gnome giggled gleefully, circling around the dark-haired girl like a miniature and adorable tornado. It plucked at her hair and sleeves curiously. Maybe it had met Destiny before and never saw her without her cloak. Rika didn't know for certain. Finally, the luminescent being took hold of the girl's blank crest, blinked its beady eyes at the card-like object, and released a particular happy-sounding laugh.

Satisfied by the examination, the Digi-Gnome released the crest and began to weave through the crowd. It whirled around Ryo and Takato, glided by Rika, paused briefly in front of Jeri, and looped around Guilmon twice. The giggling creature swooped over Henry, his sister, and their partners, it spun around Leomon, and it flew past Kenta and Bukamon. Then, it stopped above Impmon and began to poke his head.

"Will you cut that out?" snapped the viral rookie after about the fourth poke, waving his hands above him in an effort to get rid of his annoyance.

Unsurprisingly, the Digi-Gnome's response was to giggle. The glowing, digital being glided back towards Destiny before hovering near her shoulders.

"Digi-Gnomes make _Calumon_ look calm," remarked Kenta, shaking his head at the odd antics and his partner nodded in agreement.

"Great, you have your 'guest' now. Can we get the show on the road now, Dee?" requested Impmon, folding his arms.

She nodded, "Yes."

And then, everything vanished.

* * *

Once more, they were in a weird, empty blackness. They had appeared in the realm when they traveled to the Digidestined reality and on the way back. It was different than her portals. Perhaps it was simply the only way to reach another reality. Or, if Takato considered her statement about a "memory," another time.

That moment in that utter blackness was over quickly and the world reappeared around them again. But it wasn't the digital world, which wasn't highly surprising to the boy. He did recognize the location fairly quickly. Judging by the horrified gasps and frightened whispers, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.

The large group of twelve humans, ten digimon, and a Digi-Gnome were standing together inside a giant, translucent, bubble-like shape that was quite likely the work of Destiny. Said bubble was not on the ground, but sitting high above it instead. The ground itself was not visible, however, because they were surrounded by the pink, amorphous blob of the D-reaper. The city was once more consumed with the spreading deadly stuff.

"Don't be alarmed," assured the prophetess, unconcerned by the fact the forcefield was resting in the dangerous substance like a toy boat in a bathtub. "As long as we do not leave this shield, we're perfectly safe."

"But why are we here?" asked Jeri uneasily, staring at the nightmarish goop.

Destiny replied simply, "To observe. To answer a question or two."

"Which questions?" Ryo asked.

"How?" she answered. "And why?" She gestured towards their surroundings beyond the immediately obvious. "They cannot see or hear us. But we can view them. Even those who _should_ be concealed from our eyes."

Before Takato could ask for clarification, he spotted something unusual. A short distance away, buried even deeper in the destructive blob than them, was another bubble. It was smaller than theirs and held only two occupants. The tamer could sense that the two individuals would be invisible normally and that they were ignorant of the large group just a short distance away. And he also felt confident that he knew the identity of the two figures, both of which were wearing cloaks. Especially since the shorter one had the hood down currently.

"Destiny and Fate," he muttered to himself.

"That's us," commented Guilmon suddenly, catching the boy's attention.

"Huh?" Takato began, turning towards his partner for clarification of the odd statement. Seeing the red reptile staring skywards, he followed the rookie's gaze up and felt an even stronger sense of déjà vu than before. "Whoa…"

How the tamer had missed the events high overhead, he didn't know. Perhaps the presence of the D-reaper close to them, and the knowledge of how easy the substances could engulf the humans (what the final fate would be for someone not made of data he had never personally seen, but Takato's vast imagination promised it wouldn't be pleasant) and delete the low-level digimon, managed to distract them away from the fact that several familiar megas were fighting above them. Including, as Guilmon pointed out, Gallantmon.

It was mildly difficult at this angle and at this distance below them, but the tamer could almost guess _when_ this was supposed to be. Specifically, he could make out himself dodging those flying rectangles of doom while a dark figure, Beelzemon, kept relentless going after a single goal: an orb with a weird eyeball thing in front that he was currently firing at. He knew that not only was Jeri, _Past_ Jeri, inside the thing, but that this rescue attempt was doomed to failure. It had already occurred, so it _had_ to happen. It was a little unnerving to watch the events unfold again, to watch the coming physical and emotional blow as the rescue comes so close to working only to be snatched away at the last second. A quick look at Impmon demonstrated that he was also uncomfortable about watching his past self about to fail. Ai took her partner's hand, followed quickly by her brother, as they stared upwards in mild confusion of the whole thing. Takato took a step slightly closer to Jeri, whose own hand was inside Leomon's larger one. The goggle-wearing tamer didn't know what made him stand closer to the girl, but she smiled at him slightly in thanks.

"You were there," remarked Henry, his gaze shifting between the events overhead, the orb holding Destiny and Fate, and their t-shirt-wearing version of the prophetess. "When we were facing the D-reaper. You were there. You _are_ there. You showed up here twice and we never knew."

"But the first time you had your partner still," added Renamon softly.

The dark-haired girl, her eyes locked on her past, nodded, "Yes. We were here. He… wasn't happy with this prophecy from the beginning. We've done things we dislike or thought was wrong before, even if we couldn't remember the details most of the time. This time, he felt particularly strong about it and, honestly, I think he'd reached his limit on such injustice against those who deserve better."

"What do you…?" began Kazu, but Destiny interrupted.

"Listen."

As everyone fell silent and he tuned out some of the sounds from above, Takato could make out the conversation from the other bubble. Following the t-shirt-wearing prophetess' instructions, he listened carefully.

"'Two individuals, one inside and one outside. One, who carries the weight of the deaths of innocents from his actions, will try to rescue the one who deserved life far more than he. But the Chaos brings about the greatest pain and punishment to those who seek to do what is right. And another digimon partner shall be lost,'" recited Fate, his gaze turned towards the events above them. His voice was similar to Impmon's, but not quite. It wasn't higher or lower pitched or anything easy to explain like that; it just seemed to be missing something or to have something that Ai and Mako's partner's voice didn't have. Maybe it was just the almost solemn and serious nature he was currently displaying. "I know we've seen plenty of unfair events in the past, Dee, but still… he doesn't deserve that. He's trying to turn his life around, he just reunited with those little kids, and his reward for doing the right thing is to _die?"_

Takato spared a quick glance up to see how things were progressing. Judging by his memory of that day, Yamaki would have just found a way to contact him. Abruptly, Gallantmon flew towards the impenetrable prison and Grani fired. The attack broke the protection around the whitish orb, allowing Beelzemon to swoop in and begin punching. The boy, nodding himself in remembrance of that event, looked back towards the cloaked Destiny.

"It has to happen," she reminded her partner. "Someone with a history of causing innocent deaths will die trying to save someone else. We don't have to like it."

"No," whispered Jeri, her free hand grabbing Takato's arm abruptly and squeezing tightly as they listened to the pair's exchange. "'One inside and one outside'? I was inside. He was outside, trying to save me. They meant _us_."

The sea green-eyed rookie tugged his hood up, hiding his face from view, commenting sharply, "I _don't_. Maybe it's because he so similar to me, but it feels wrong. We've allowed so many good beings to die because of prophecies. We're nothing but tools of murder and destruction. We might be balancing things, making the universes the way they should be, but honestly… that doesn't mean it's always right. Someone trying so hard to do the right thing, trying to redeem himself for past crimes, deserve better."

"He deserves a second chance, but life is rarely fair," the cloaked Destiny remarked in a softer tone, turning her own gaze up towards the still stubborn attempts by the worn-out Beelzemon. "There is no other way. No one else fits the prophecy."

Then, almost inaudibly, Fate replied, "Maybe…"

A frustrated, exhausted, and determined shout drew Takato's gaze back skywards. The dark shape of the viral mega, still refusing to give up on saving the trapped girl, was channeling all his power into making one final attempt. The boy knew exactly what was happening and knew that it wouldn't end well.

"Fist…of…the Beast King!" he announced, speaking each word with as much strength as he could manage as he sent the lion-shaped ball of flame straight at the invincible orb.

Miraculously, the sphere cracked and a small hole was left behind. The mega, barely remaining in the air and breathing heavily, reached inside imploringly. Beelzemon was asking the trapped girl to take his hand. An offer she was destined to refuse.

"I'm sorry, Impmon," whispered Jeri. "I should have listened and just took your hand."

The rookie answered in an equally soft voice, "You had _no_ reason to give me a chance, Jeri. You had every right to be suspicious of me and I don't blame you for anything."

Takato could make his own past self's voice shouting at her while he flitted across the sky with the deadly rectangles following. But the most painfully-emotional voice was Beelzemon's begging for the girl he'd hurt so much to let him save her. Even as the small hole completely close, he kept insist that she take his hand.

Gallantmon, landing beside the dark mega to help, unfortunately led the sharp rectangles straight towards him. Even knowing it was coming this time, somehow Takato, and several others, couldn't help gasping in shock and horror as they hit. Impmon flinched sharply as he watched himself get sliced and broken by the D-reaper's defense, his partners' tightening their grip on him as if to reassure themselves that their friend was still there.

The megas from the past, seeing this horror for the first time, were obviously in shock as Beelzemon began to fall. Streaming data behind him, far too much data it seemed to the boy even now, he still called out to the girl he tried to save and desperately wanting one last chance. Interestingly, it looked like he would be falling fairly close to the two invisible bubbles.

Just as Takato remembered, his Biomerged form dove after the plummeting figure. He was the closest and it didn't seem to matter at the time that he didn't have the ability to fly on his own. He just remembered that he reacted on instinct, intent on saving a friend _somehow_. But, just as Fatemon was prevented from saving him and Guilmon from Ragnamon, the D-reaper prevented Gallantmon from reaching the dissolving Beelzemon. Even knowing that it all worked out, the tamer wished that he could have still helped him.

Everyone from the past was shouting at the falling mega, begging not to give up and to trying to reach him before he hit the D-reaper. Everything they knew about the pink blob meant that it would be fatal. Especially for a digimon already in such bad shape and already looked like they were on the brink of death. They knew that, even _if_ the damage and severe loss of data was survivable for the viral mega, plunging into the hostile environment that waited below would finish him off.

"Still don't know how I lived through that," remarked Impmon quietly as he watched the traumatic scene of his past unfold.

"Because you shouldn't have," whispered their casually-dressed prophetess. A quick glance showed that there were tears in her eyes. "Watch."

Just as Takato had estimated, Beelzemon would hit fairly close to them. He could see the digimon very clearly now, far more clearly than his past counterpart did at this point in the descent. It was even more shocking that he survived now that he could see how far the dissolving had come. There was nothing recognizable of the mega left. He was little more than a rather small cloud of data with barely any mass. And there was no sign that it would stabilize at all. If he didn't _know_ that Impmon would survive, if hadn't seen the evidence with his own eyes, the tamer would have automatically assumed…

"No!" shouted Fate from his own protective bubble, yanking the boy's attention back to them. "He's suffered enough. No more."

The cloud of data splashed into the D-reaper, right next to the small force field orb. Even at a short distance away, Takato could see the rookie plunge his own arms through the shield into the deadly substance, screaming in pain, and pulled the remainder of the collection of data inside. The cloaked Destiny provided her own scream in horror at her partner's actions. The boy, and apparently the other tamers and digimon, were too shocked to make a sound themselves.

The small cloaked figure, his hood having slid back down at some point was visibly grimacing in pain and Takato spotted data starting to float out of his sleeves. But, the data being lost by Fate was being pulled towards what used to be Beelzemon. Even dying and little more than a slightly congealed cloud, he seemed to be instinctively trying to absorb data, to somehow gain the strength to survive. Destiny wrapped her shaking arms around her partner in a hug, her face still hidden by the hood, as Fate slowly lost cohesion while the other digimon stabilized into a more recognizable and complete form.

Takato almost didn't spot Grani as it flew by the bubble, the digital creation moving as if searching for something. The cloaked girl, spotting the vehicle, waited until Grani neared before taking the still-hurt, but clearly alive Impmon and shifting him out of her protective orb and onto the red steed. Fate, however, didn't look like he would survive much longer from his risky rescue.

Shoving the hood down, she was clearly crying as she asked, "Why, you stupid dork? You've seen prophecies lead to death before. Why swoop in and save the day now?"

The dissolving rookie gave her a slight grin, though his expression was fairly serious, "Come on, you saw them. They are so happy together. And they barely have had any time together. It's not right to separate them yet. The prophecy is fulfilled, whether it's that Impmon or me."

"Forget the stinking prophecy," she screamed in frustration. Takato could feel his own eyes welling up with tears. Just the thought of it hard to bear. "All this prophecy nonsense has gotten us is isolation, messed-up memories, and headaches to deal with. Why can't we just live our own lives and let them handle things themselves. I should just quit all this. What's the point?"

"You don't mean that," he whispered, nearly gone. "You care what happens and you always have to make a difference. I'm the one who would have quit, just to be my annoying self. You always felt the responsibility and duty. It was only a matter of time before I did too." He gave a grin, "Look like I saved the day. Guess that's how all those losers we boss around feel. You're my best friend, Destiny."

"You too, Impmon," she whispered back, tears rolling down her face as the last pieces of data floated away. She stared at the now vacated spot. "Please come back," she begged softly, her voice painfully choked up and barely audible to the boy, "Don't leave me alone."

The weeping figure just sat there for several moments silently, holding tightly to the empty cloak of her lost partner. No one was speaking or even moving in the larger bubble either. What do you say in a situation like this? The goggle-wearing boy didn't know.

Shortly, the heart-broken prophetess carefully stated, "What once was lost can yet be found. Nothing is ever gone forever. Destiny and Fate: intertwined and connected. When the task is done and duty fulfilled, and everything is balanced, a reward shall be given. Friends reunite and pain shall be eased. And allies shall be free." The cloak-wearing Destiny seemed to consider the words for a moment before bowing her head and remarking, "Very well. I will complete my task. I am ready for the next one."

Without another word, the enshrouded girl and the bubble she was inside disappeared. Several seconds of silence passed before a very-confused Kazu broke the tension.

"What in the world was _that_? What just happened?"

**Okay, probably not the greatest twist in the world, but I came up with this several, several years ago. Back when I first watched the third season of digimon, I was openly shocked at Leomon's death. Back then (when I was young), I thought I had it all figured out based on the previous digimon series. The partner digimon will not die or they will return almost immediately (Patamon from 01 and Wormmon from 02). When Jeri's partner was lost permanently, it threw all my assumptions out the window. Thus, when Beelzemon got whacked with the rectangles of doom, was hemorrhaging data like crazy, and was **_**literally**_** nothing more than a vague cloud of data right before he splashed into the D-reaper (go watch the beginning the episode "D-reaper's Feast." There was even an actual "splash" of pink goo as what was left of him impacted), I thought there was a real possibility that he was toast. Everything basically pointed to the fact that nobody (not even our awesome Beelzemon) could survive **_**that**_**. Then… Grani appears with a battered, but intact Impmon! I was very happy, but still wondering how he managed to pull off that miracle. So, I took that little question and eventually developed an answer. Hope the time travel wasn't too confusing.**

**Still have a little more for this story left, but it is mostly taking care of a few details and tying up some lose ends. I think that I can finish this in one more chapter (or I could be wrong). Either way, we're close to the end. So, thanks for supporting me and reading my story. Hope you like the rest of it.**


	64. Reunited At Last

**The end is near! The story is being wrapped up and most of the loose ends are being tied off. Of course, not everything will be completely taken care of. There is a sequel planned, after all. I have to have things left to address in the third story (and, because I've been asked this several times, there will be no visit to the fourth season of digimon with my storylines... I am not bringing in the Frontier kids, **_**period**_**).**

**After this story is finished, I shall be entering a time of malicious editing for my writing. I will attack each chapter of "Destiny" and "Fate" in order to knock out any pathetic sections of writing, strengthen weak parts of the plotline, and smooth any wrinkles out of the piece. I'll be making changes and adding details in order that I can claim to be satisfied with the entire series before I truly begin the third story.**

Renamon stared at Impmon firmly as Kazu declared his confusion. The final pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place, though they were far more unusual than most expected. Destiny's loss and the purple rookie's survival that day were connected. She remembered thinking as Grani brought her battered friend up that it was impossible for him to still be alive, but accepting the more pleasant result anyway. Now she could understand how it happened. And, for once, she was having some difficultly judging Impmon's thoughts.

The impulsive rookie was always an open-book to her. His emotions were easy to read and she could always guess what he was thinking about. Now, everything seemed too turbulent and unsettled for Renamon to identify his current train of thought. Was he thankful for Fate's sacrifice, regretful of the pain it put Destiny through, guilty for separating another girl from her partner (even unintentionally and without his knowledge), confused about what this revelation meant, nervous about how this could affect his future, or simply impatient to learn what they were going to do about this? Perhaps he was experiencing all of them, but she couldn't tell for certain. Impmon's expression was simply impossible for her to read this once.

Kenta quietly answered his friend's question, "I think this means… Fate's data is inside Impmon and that's why he survived his quick swim in the D-reaper. He fixed him."

"Yes, he did," acknowledged Destiny, not quite meeting anyone's eyes yet. "And I couldn't even remember it for the longest time. I wasn't trying to conceal this connection between us."

"Not like you could bring that sort of thing up easily," Terriermon pointed out. "'Hey, my dead partner is stuck in your friend over there.' Even_ I_ have more tact than to just blurt that sort of thing out."

"You _did_ just blurt that out," reminded Henry. "Just now."

"But this is different. We already know that now," the rabbit-like being argued.

His tamer retorted, "But you still could have been more tactful in your phrasing or not said anything at all."

"Oh, momentai already. It could have been worse."

"Okay, we get it. Now drop it, Terriermon," snapped Rika. She turned towards the prophetess and asked, "Look, is there anything else we need to see here or can we talk about this somewhere else? Somewhere away from the D-reaper?"

Destiny nodded and the large group of individuals vanished back into the blackness. In that moment of unending emptiness, Renamon sensed… something. The blackness felt paradoxically empty and overly crowded. It was only a fleeting sensation, but it was enough to make the yellow-furred rookie wonder about the true nature of the place.

They reappeared in the vast digital desert. The harsh and batten landscape was a familiar sight since this was one of, if not _the_, largest levels of the digital world. It was also the closest level to the human world and was the first area their human partners had ever set foot in. The only interruptions to the flat and empty view were the tumbling round shapes of packet old data and the distant data streams near the horizon. Those surroundings would be far less stressful than remaining in the D-reaper-covered city.

"That's better," sighed Kenta.

"Much," chirped Bukamon in agreement.

"But that still leaves the obvious problem," continued the bespectacled boy. "What do we do about what we just saw?"

"Find a way to fix this," answered Impmon firmly, finally speaking after that rather surprising reveal. "We managed to get Leomon back after… So it has to be possible to do it again."

"Yeah, but do you remember how that happened?" Rika reminded him, glaring mildly at the purple rookie. "And do you remember my little 'chat' with Takato and Ryo about _not_ getting yourself killed? You're not allowed to pull a heroic sacrifice just because Fate did that to you first. If that is the plan, we better have a plan B."

Destiny hurried to assure the red-head, "No, I would not ask that of him. I've caused all of you enough pain with the prophecies I bring. I will not hurt anyone."

"Then how are you getting your partner out of Impmon?" asked Takato.

She gestured at the Digi-Gnome floating beside her, "With a wish."

* * *

Impmon was _not_ nervous about this whole situation. Nope, not at all. He wasn't at all concerned about the idea of digging out the buried data of someone he never even knew he absorbed. That rather complicated-sounding idea didn't even remotely bother him. And the fact that last time they managed to separate a digimon from him was, as Rika had reminded, a rather fatal event was not even worth thinking about. He was absolutely fine. And if he kept asserting that idea to himself, the rookie might even believe it.

He didn't know if his partners were holding his hands to reassure him or to reassure themselves. Either way, he was a little less than happy when Destiny suggested that Ai and Mako step back. Still, he gave the pair a small reassuring smile before they took up posts on beside Jeri.

The dark-haired prophetess turned towards the glowing Digi-Gnome and simply whispered, "Please?"

For once, the digital being didn't giggle. Instead, it nodded and took off. The luminescent entity started snatching up the nearby data packets and tossing them in Impmon's direction. After the rookie ended up with the fourth glowing spheres it threw nearly hitting his face, the Digi-Gnome flitted back over to the blue-eyed girl. Holding out an oversized hand-like limb, it offered an inquisitive high-pitched chirp.

Destiny, as if she clearly comprehended the cheerful sound, handed the glowing being her crystalline purple and green D-arc. The Digi-Gnome glided back over towards Impmon, its beady black eyes focused intently on the rookie.

"I think I like these things better when they're acting like our playful Calumon," the rookie muttered under his breath.

The Digi-Gnome giggled, possibly find the soft comment amusing. Before his eyes, the D-arc began to glow with a light similar to the luminescent being. Impmon closed his eyes, not quite certain if he wanted to see what was about to happen. Besides, circumstances like this sort of thing always felt like not watching was more appropriate. He almost flinched when the odd digital being touched his forehead, not expecting the sudden contact, but he kept his eyes shut.

When the Digi-Gnome took its hand away, the rookie felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He kept from losing his balance only through stubborn determination. He could sleep later. Even more interesting than his abrupt tiredness was the gasps and statements of amazement. If they were reacting to something, he'd probably should go ahead and look at what was happening.

The first thing he spotted when he opened his eyes was another set of eyes. Sea green and far too close, the other pair of eyes stared back at Impmon curiously. Looking a little more at the face that belonged to the eyes revealed a fairly familiar set of features. It wasn't quite like looking in a mirror, but it was fairly close. A casual glance would find the two rookies facing each other indistinguishable. Unsurprisingly, the old data "tumbleweeds" disappeared after the digimon appeared.

Finally, after briefly wondering how in the world he was supposed to address a stranger who sacrificed so much to save him, Impmon casually remarked, "I expected someone taller."

Without missing a beat, the doppelganger answered, "And I expected someone less suicidal. Really, you can't go more than ten minutes without a near-death experience."

Absolutely certain now of something he'd began to suspect when he first learned of Fate's sacrifice, Impmon smirked slightly, "Hey, you're the one who urged me towards a certain deadly goop in that freaky dark dimension. You were the weird voice in my head."

"You were already dead by that point. Don't blame me for that entire mess. I just gave you advice," retaliated the other rookie. "And considering I couldn't remember who or what I was and all I knew for certain was that you kept putting yourself in life-threatening situations, I think I did okay with that _one_ opportunity I had to interact with you."

"So, do you remember anything from before you decided to take up residence in my head now?" asked the emerald-eyed virus.

"You mean from before I decided that I'd give the guilt-ridden digimon a second chance that I thought he deserved before I figured out he was _completely_ lacking in _any_ kind of survival instincts? Yeah, I remember some now. Not that my memory was ever the best or anything, but still…," he answered.

Impmon grabbed the rookie's shoulders and spun him around, "Then its time you notice that we're not alone and start paying attention to them."

Apparently Fate hadn't been aware of their audience. The recently-resurrected rookie stared at the assortment of tamers and partners, likely as intrigued by their presence as they were by his. The Digi-Gnome giggled at their expressions, clearly pleased with itself, before gliding over and handing the D-arc back to its owner.

His eyes locked on the t-shirt-wearing prophetess. Impmon didn't know if the viral rookie immediately recognized the girl in her uncharacteristic outfit, but it didn't take the digimon long to make the connection. Fate stiffened, staring at her intently and mildly nervously. He slowly gave her a timid wave.

"Hey, Dee," the sea green-eyed rookie remarked quietly, resulting in a slight flinch from Ryo. "I'd guess you're still upset with me, right? About… disappearing on you like that?"

With a small smile that made her look less like a prophetess with incredible knowledge and more like a girl who just got her best friend back, she shook her head, "No, I'm not mad at you. I never really was. I'm just so happy to see you again. I've been waiting for so long."

As Impmon expected, Fate took a step towards her. The girl, in return, mirrored that small step with her own. This slow advance continued in this hesitant manner. The prophetess seemed uncertain of herself, as if she fully expected the viral digimon to evaporate at any instant. When their slow approach brought the pair within arm's reach of one another, the dark-haired girl dropped to her knees and wrapped her returned-partner in a tight hug.

"I do enjoy happy endings," Guardromon confided to his partner softly, sounding vaguely emotional about the reunion.

"Shut up," Kazu hissed under his breath. "Getting misty-eyed about this sort of thing is not manly."

Kenta muttered in equally quiet tones, "So that's just sand in your eyes?"

Impmon, generally not one to pass up an opportunity to share his general disgust with displays of mushy feelings, remained silent. While he'd not been present to witness it, he was willing to bet Jeri and Leomon's reunion was similar. Tearing apart partners was possibly the cruelest thing you could do, but watching them come together is rather… nice. A quick glance towards Jeri, one hand protectively near the twins and one resting on Leomon's arm while a rather warm smile spread across her face, proved to the purple rookie that she was rather happy to see someone getting the same second chance that she and her partner received. Impmon decided to join her and his own tamers to watch the reunion instead of just standing off by himself any longer.

After a few moments, Fate loosened his grip on the girl enough so he could look her in the face. He gave her a scanning look, taking in her expression and outfit, before starting his questions.

"So what's with the get-up, Dee? You spent all that time making those cloaks and now you look like some random kid. No one will take you seriously during the next prophecy. I'll have to do all the hard-work at looking mysterious and impressive."

She gave a small chuckle at the rookie's words, "As if anyone would think you're impressive, dork. But it doesn't matter."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because we're done," Destiny answered. "No more prophecies for us to handle. No more… messing with people's lives. No more helping psychos while watching good people suffer. No more worrying about the fates of untold numbers of realities. No more being tied to an endless job that seems to have just as much suffering caused as it prevents. No more… any of it. We are, officially, retired from dealing with prophecies."

Fate stared at her blankly, apparently not quite comprehending her words. Impmon barely resisted the urge to make a rather rude comment about the rookie's dumb-struck expression. Slowly, realization began to dawn on him.

"Really? We're actually… finished? But… How did… What about… Dee, I can't believe it."

"It's absolutely true," she asserted. "We're done."

"Oh yeah? Prove it," the rookie jokingly challenged.

As if accepting the digimon's challenge, the girl's D-arc began to glow with a bright white light that radiated out until the device, the prophetess, and the partner were hidden from view. Impmon squinted against the glare, wondering why everything tamers were involved in eventually resulted in some type of light show.

"What's going on?" asked Ai.

"No clue, munchkin," her partner answered.

"It's pwetty," commented Suzie. "And bwight."

"I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but it _is_ definitely bright," Takato agreed.

The light finally dimmed and vanished, leaving most of the tamers and digimon blinking to clear their visions. As soon as he could see properly again, Impmon glanced towards the source of the earlier illumination. The D-arc no longer had the odd crystalline appearance. Instead, it now looked exactly like a normal D-arc. It was now made of the plastic-like substance and had a few buttons, just like the other tamers'. The coloration was still the same: mostly deep lavender with the ring a shade of green. Every other detail was identical to the device in the twins' possession.

His inspection of the girl's changed D-arc was interrupted, however, as he caught sight of the girl herself. She was still kneeling beside Fate, but her borrowed outfit had been replaced by a purple dress. Even more shocking than her abrupt change of clothes was her physical change. The prophetess had become a young child. Destiny had regressed back to the small, blue-eyed girl who played with the twins in the backyard. While a fairly surprising event, at least most of the tamers and digimon present could guess what was going on. Besides Ai, Mako, Suzie, Yamaki, and Ryo, the kids had already known the child and prophetess was the same person.

Yamaki, likely the only one not completely blinded during the earlier light show since he wore sunglasses and almost certainly the most confused person present, stated rather calmly, "Just when I thought things could not become any more complicated."

"Dee… you shrunk," remarked Fate in a stunned voice.

The young child looked at her hands, arms, and outfits in amazement and confusion, "I… I… But why…" She paused for a moment, some of her confusion lifting from her face. "Because I was young when I began. This is how I'm supposed to look, Fate." Her voice was younger, but she still maintained some manner of maturity in her tone. There as a kind of balance between her physical age and the older role she'd been fulfilling for so long. "I can… remember _before_. Before the prophecies. I was just a kid and…" She turned her head towards the other tamers, "I _knew_ you."

The older kids, those who knew what she meant, nodded. The twins and Suzie frowned.

"So both of the Destiny girls were the same person?" asked Mako.

"Indeed," nodded Leomon. "Both child and prophetess are the same. We just met them at different points in her life."

"And of course no one thought to inform me or Hypnos about this?" inquired Yamaki, sounding mildly annoyed at being kept out of the loop alongside the youngest tamers.

Impmon shrugged, "It was hard to explain. We figured we had a few years to work out all the weird time travel stuff and odd questions she causes. We were barely understanding how it worked ourselves."

"Plus, we were worried about paradoxes and the space-time continuum going to pieces," added Kazu. "How are you supposed to explain that?"

"I was… on my way to Suzie's party," described Destiny, frowning slightly.

Impmon could see Henry, Rika, and Jeri visibly cringed. They could guess what she was about to remember. And they knew it wouldn't be a pleasant discovery for the girl.

"I remember… a truck… and…," she stammered slowly, her voice growing more upset as she spoke. "It exploded."

"Dee? You okay?" asked Fate uneasily, apparently trying to adapt to his younger partner and her obvious distress.

"I remember _why_ I ended up with that job. I chose it. I chose it because I wanted to help, to make things better. And everything else was gone," she stated in a wavering voice. The hints of the prophetess were gone from her tone. This was just a child, a child realizing a horrible fact. "My family was gone. And I was supposed to be killed there too. I didn't have anything else to lose. I agreed to handle prophecies. Because everything I used to have was… gone."

"Man, that's just…" began Kazu quietly before he caught sight of something. "Not again."

Before Impmon could ask what had the tamer so upset, a blue data stream swept over the entire group and carried them off.

* * *

Yamaki, decided that he absolutely hated traveling by data streams. They didn't even spot this one until it hit them; they were too distracted by the conundrum posed by Destiny. This time, they landed in the middle of a fog bank. The man managed to keep his footing, doing no more than jostle the still-unconscious Calumon slightly. He couldn't see very far in any direction, but he could identify the soft sensation of grass underneath his shoes. He could vaguely make out a couple of the closest tamers squinting through the white mist.

"We're back. We're near my shed," declared Guilmon, sniffing loudly. "I can smell the bread I buried last week."

"We're in a digital field," Henry realized. "That blue data stream brought us to the human world. Possibly that's how all the digimon reach our world."

"That could be handy to know in the future," remarked Terriermon.

"How long do you think it'll take someone to realize we're here?" asked Rika.

The man's cell phone began to ring. Reaching into his pocket, Yamaki could already guess who was calling.

"This is Yamaki," he greeted calmly.

"Sir, I cannot begin to describe how good it is to hear from you," Riley's relieved voice answered him. "We thought it was just another bioemergence, but we detected several familiar signals embedded in the middle of the mess. Is everyone with you and unharmed?"

"Yes, we're all here and we're fine," he assured her, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Perhaps you should inform their parents about their return."

She gave a small laugh, "that shouldn't be hard. Most of them are already here. How about I tell them where you are and have them meet you."

"Fine. We're in the park, near the storage shed that Guilmon generally occupies," he agreed, confirming the location the computers would provide her.

"Understood, sir," she answered. "I'll be seeing you shortly."

He hung up the phone and glanced around. The digital field was beginning to dissipate. He could now spot the concrete stairs that would lead up to the small building that Takato managed to hide his partner in for quite some time. He could now see the tamers and digimon. Everyone looked relieved to be back in the human world.

Well, perhaps not everyone. The young version of Destiny, a concept that still went against his view of the world, stared at the surroundings uneasily. From what she'd said before the data stream hit them, she was an orphan now. A child without a family, without a home and now she stood on the edge of something she didn't know. She'd regained her partner, but also gained the memories of what she'd lost. The blond man didn't know what was going through her head or how she was dealing with this discovery. He also didn't know what the right way to deal with her predicament, but he knew that there was no possibility that the situation would end with the tamer in an orphanage. The advantages that the children and their partners offered against bioemergences ensured that a potential tamer would have to be kept around, not lost among to the system.

"What do we do now, Fate?" the dark-haired girl asked quietly. "We fulfill prophecies; I've never really thought of what happened afterwards. And, without a home and family or prophecies to deal with, what do we do?"

"Come on, Dee," assured the purple rookie that looked so similar to the twins' digimon. "We always manage to figure something out, even with the most complicated prophecies. We'll be fine."

"You could stay with us," suggested Mako abruptly. "I'm sure Mommy and Daddy won't mind. They let Impmon stay with us."

"Right," Ai nodded. "You can stay in our room too. It'll be okay."

Ryo glanced at the young pair and carefully began, "I really don't know if you should be making those types of promises without…"

"No, Ai and Mako have the right idea," interrupted Rika, looking rather protective of the lost-looking child. "And if their parents can't take Destiny in, she can stay with another of us. My house has plenty of room and I doubt Goggle-head's parents would turn away a kid in need. The Wong household is probably at the limit of tamers and digimon it can deal with, but Henry and Suzie's mother would likely still offer. There are enough of us; she can move between our homes if we need to. We'll work it out."

Destiny stared at the red-head for several moments before remarking, "I guess you don't hate me anymore."

"It's hard to lose a parent from your life, let alone two and your home. And tamers stick together," she stated firmly. "We won't let you face that on your own. Besides, I've been trying to give you another chance and to trust you. And things are better this time than at the start." Yamaki saw the Nonaka girl glance at Ryo. "I say we're even."

"Wow, Rika's being nice," muttered Kazu, being careful to stay out of earshot of her. "It's a miracle."

By this point, the fog was completely gone. The sky was the bright orange shade of sunset. This particular corner of the park was deserted, though the man didn't know if it was just a coincidence or people had simply fled at the arrival of the digital field.

"Might be nice to have you two around," remarked Impmon, giving the blue-eyed girl and her partner a small smile. "Dee can hang out with the munchkins and I'll teach you everything I know about terrifying couples and pranking. Maybe someday you'll be as good at it as me."

Fate smirked, "What do you mean 'someday'? I could already beat you at freaking someone out."

"Oh really? You think so? I think there's something wrong with your head, Shrimp," the twins' partner retaliated.

"We're the same size, idiot," he retorted. "And I think you're afraid of a little competition."

"Afra… Okay, that's it." Impmon looked at Destiny, who was struggling not to chuckle at the brewing argument. "I'm sorry, Dee. I'm going to have to teach your partner exactly who's the best around here."

Fate gestured , "Bring it on. I can beat you anytime."

"I am the expert at this," bragged the rookie to his doppelganger. "No one has more experience at terrorizing the park population than me. No amount of time travel or going between realities can compare with my absolute talent."

"This could take a while," commented Takato, looking at the pair of digimon.

Terriermon added, "I pity anyone who goes into the park for a _long_ time."

"Sir," called a breathless Riley, running into view. The man felt himself blinking in surprise behind his shades. The only way she could have covered that distance in that short of time was by flat out running. He knew that she spent time at the gym, but it was still an impressive feat. Panting slightly, she joined the group and remarked, "Sir, it is good to have you back. There are a few events to update you on, but first… may I speak to you on a more personal matter?"

Yamaki raised an eyebrow in reaction to her unusual request. She never brought up personal matters in public if she could help it. That was just a fundamental part of their "keeping business and private lives separate" set-up. That was how they always did things ever since they began living together. It was constant and predictable. But, if the beautiful young woman needed to break that separation for once, he would accept that. The blond man nodded to her solemnly.

Taking a deep breath, she began, "Mitsuo." His eyebrows definitely shot up at that. She was using his first name. This was definitely serious. The brunette continued, "We've known each other for a long time. I've stood by you during calm times and disasters alike. You're my boss, but you are also far more." She glanced at the gathering of tamers and digimon uneasily and blushed, but did not stop speaking. "Our… relationship is complicated and wonderful." She glanced down, "I might never regain the courage for this if I stop now or wait until later. I've considered things carefully in your absence and know that if this is to be said,_ I_ will have to do the asking. I know that I am happy with you and that I would never be as happy with any life that did not involve you. Unless something happens to us that is worse than everything we've weathered in the past, I plan to always be by your side as long as you'll allow me."

A part of Yamaki didn't know where this conversation was going and felt oddly apprehensive. Another part, the part that had grown more accustomed to chaos, confusion, and change, was beginning to guess Riley's intent. And that more relaxed part of his mind was rather pleased.

"That's why I have to ask you now, before I lose my nerve," she stated, finally looking back up with an expression of hope and dread, "if you would consider… marrying me, someday?"

Silence met her question. In fact, there was too much silence. He knew that something was missing. A quick look around him explained the lack of comments that should be occurring. Apparently Renamon had grasped the general direction of the conversation before the question was actually spoken. The fox had both Impmon and Terriermon in her grasp, her paws covering their mouths. Wild-eyed and struggling, the two rookies remained firmly silenced by her. The rest of the digimon and their partners were in a variety of states of shock, confusion, and general surprise. None of them, even those the least flabbergasted by Riley's question, were attempting to speak yet.

Carefully, Yamaki removed his sunglasses and looked the woman directly in the eye. She maintained her gaze on him, keeping that hopeful and nervous expression firmly in place. She wouldn't take back her words; she needed to find out this answer, regardless of what it might mean. She needed to hear him make this decision and wouldn't accept anything less than a "yes" or "no." And she deserved a straight answer.

Quietly, he responded, "I'm sorry, Riley."

Her gaze finally fell and her shoulders slumped slightly. Silently, she nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry, but my mother is going to drive you crazy with the wedding," he continued.

The way she stiffened and looked at him with disbelief and shock was mildly amusing. The way the jaws of several children and digital monsters dropped was even more so. Less amusing and certainly embarrassing was the fact that Tally and a small collection of parents had followed the brunette and arrived just at that moment.

"He said 'yes,'" cheered Riley's co-worker. "I knew it. And I won the bet. I told you it would happen as soon as he made it back. Pay up."

"I'm going to kill you, Tally," threatened the now-engaged woman.

"This… has been a strange day," Kenta commented slowly.

Kazu nodded, "I didn't even know those two were a couple."

"Daddy," called Suzie, running towards her parent. "We're back. Can we open my pwesents now?"

* * *

Sleepy. He was so sleepy. He didn't remember being this tired in the entire history of forever. But his dreams had been nice at least. It was about the spinning triangle. It had been confused when the warm glowing light went backwards, going from digimon to triangle instead of the other way. But then, it was happy. At least, Calumon thought it was happy. It didn't have a face and it didn't talk, so it was a little hard to tell. But it was a good dream anyway.

The small in-training blearily opened his eyes. He was still sleepy, but he could hear people and he wanted to find out what was going on. There were lots of grown ups around now. They were hugging children and welcoming them back home. Kazu's mother was already informing him that his teacher had prepared him homework and the boy was complaining about that. He also saw Ai and Mako's mother giving her children a hug and then she gave one to a dark-haired little girl. Her name was also Destiny and she sometimes played with the twins, but she didn't wear a cool cloak like the other Destiny person.

Then he spotted two Impmons. One was standing near the young Destiny. The other abruptly smacked his forehead and commented that they left his bike behind. That was kind of funny. The white digimon wanted to ask about that, but he was too tired to try right now. He was too tired for anything. He was too tired for _creampuffs_, which was impossible for him to imagine.

Calumon felt himself beginning to doze off again. He was so comfy right now. He was still in Yamaki's arms, but the _**bad**_ thing was gone now and that made it even better. And, before he closed his eyes again, the small digimon thought he saw the man smiling at Riley. That was a good thing; he liked it when the man was happy.

**Okay, that's it. The end of "Fate." It took a couple of years, but I finally finished it. I hope you enjoyed the story and will enjoy it even more after I get finished editing everything. **

**The third story of my trilogy, "Predestination," will have to wait a little while before I truly begin it. I will, however, be posting the prologue immediately to give you an idea of what I have planned next and so you can set a story alert for it if you like. I have big plans for the future, but they have to wait until I take care of the editing first.**

**Thanks for reading and hope you'll keep following my writing for the third story of this trilogy. Let me know your thoughts by reviewing, please. And thanks for all the support you've offered throughout.**


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